Dysfuntional Family
by Kiyoshi'sGirl64
Summary: A young demon shows up at Kurama's door, bringing with him a whole host of problems for Kurama to deal with.  More complete summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

ForbiddenChildLover64: I hate you.

Kiyoshi: Sorry. Too bad you can't get rid of me. If I could leave, we'd both be happier.

FCL64: Oh, Kiyoshi! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!

Kiyoshi: Neither did I. Hey. We own Kayden. In case you need clarification, I am FCL64's muse, so I am actually the one writing the story.

FCL64: Shut up. That's half the problem. Now, as promised, a full summary: A young man shows up at Kurama's front door, harboring serious resentment against the demon he's never met. After speaking with Kayden, Kurama finds that, once again, his past is catching up with him. But this time, the past is entirely unexpected, but the impact is just as great. And the past is of an entirely different nature than any time before. Warning: focuses on one of the rather unsavory aspects of Kurama's past.

Kiyoshi: How overly-dramatic.

FCL64: Shut it, you. This is also our first attempt at a guy OC's pov, so we'll see how this goes… And no promises on frequent updates. Oh, and because it's from Kayden's pov and he's more than a little resentful the language is occasionally...not so nice.

* * *

I hit the button that rings a bell inside. He'll be alone. There is no human energy in that house. And I've been watching him for several weeks. I know his habits. But several times he seemed to tense, he looked nervous, as though he sensed he was being followed. My eyes narrow. How could he, the way I was hiding? Perhaps there is a sliver of truth the rumors. But what would make him live here?

The door opens, and his eyes are guarded as he glances me over. What do you see, you bastard? Do you see a threat? Do you recognize me for what I am? After nearly a minute he says, "There is something about you that seems very familiar. But I have no idea what or why. I cannot think where I would have met you." How about my ears and tail, you bastard? Do you find those familiar at all?

"We have not me." If we had me, chances are that one of us would be dead. And based on his aura, it would not be me. His sixth sense may be impressive, but there is nothing else to give reason to why he was so feared.

His ridiculous red eyebrows furrow over those stupid green eyes. What is he playing at, living as a human? Who does he think he's fooling? Weighing each word carefully, he says, "Why don't you come in? I don't think it's…prudent for you to be standing in a human street as you are. Many of them are still unaccustomed to our kind."

"Very well."

He allows me to pass before closing the door. In the kitchen, he prepares two cups of tea. What is with him? Has he gone mad? Or were the rumors that the fox demon was cruel and bloodthirsty never anything more than rumors? And to think, my mother is in love with this weak, human-loving bastard.

He sits down at the table, and I sit down across from him. When he doesn't speak, I ask coldly, "Are you really stupid enough to let a strange demon into your house?"

He smiles calmly. Is he _mocking_ me? "I can tell you dislike me. However, if you were out to kill me, you would have done so the moment I opened the door. If you even rang the bell, as opposed to breaking down the door or breaking through a window."

Damn him. "I do mean to kill you." Just not until you've suffered a bit.

He looks at me a moment, then says, "You can try. But a demon of your caliber would have little chance against me."

Arrogant too. This just gets better and better. "My aura surpasses your own, yet you would suggest I cannot kill you?"

His voice becomes cold. I hit a nerve with that one. Good. "I am guessing you know who you are speaking to. You do not seem like a complete fool. I am, however, forced to assume that you do not fully appreciate the situation. If you did you would be quicker to fear me and not so quick to mock."

"Fear you? There is no reason for me to fear you. I know everything about you."

"While you can try to mask your energy, it is not very effective," he says, enunciating every word quickly and sharply. "You have been following me for the past twenty three days. Occasionally I lost you, but it didn't take long to find you again."

He was flinching because he _didn't_ know where I was? That just pisses me off. He continues, eyes and voice colder and harder with each word. "My aura, you see, is roughly one hundred times stronger than it feels to you at the moment. That is the difference between your abilities and mine. In addition, you would do well to learn that in battle, tactics are at least as important as power. Now I suggest you tell me your name and your purpose or get out."

"My name is Kayden. I simply wanted to know if you knew who I was. What is it you find familiar?"

He stares at me, calmly drinking his tea. I have not touched mine. No telling what he might have put in it." The shape of your eyes. But the color is off somehow. Off from what, though, I could not tell you." How the hell could he not know that? My eyes are the same dark blue as my mother's but for those damn gold flecks.

"Krista," I reply, glaring. "You knew my mother. My eyes are almost the same color." He doesn't respond to the name. "Do you not remember?"

"No. How long ago do you believe me to have seen her last?"

"Slightly more than four hundred years." And my poor mother has been waiting for this son of a bitch ever since.

He nods. "Time can make one forget many things."

Forget? How could he forget something like that? "You said you loved her."

That statement actually has a visible effect. His eyes widen slightly. Is he finally getting the picture? He takes a deep breath, and his eyes return to their normal, inscrutable green. "I told many women I loved them. It is not my fault she would believe a liar, a thief and a murderer. Chances are I only saw her the one time."

True. In one night, he ruined my mother's life. And she forgave him for it. Suddenly he says, "It's not just your eyes. There is something else, not quite so obvious." Not quite so obvious. Is he just ignoring the ears entirely?

"She always said I looked like my father, except for my eyes and the color of my hair. She was always so freaking proud of that."

His eyes flash, but he only asks, "Perhaps I knew your father as well." His voice is tense. He suspects the truth, but he wants me to say it. I won't. Not like that.

"Go look in the freaking mirror."


	2. Chapter 2

FCL64: We have returned. With cookies.

Kiyoshi: You don't have cookies. You just wish you did.

FCL64: You're really mean to me.

Kiyoshi: You're just as mean to me.

FCL64: *glares*

* * *

He blinks once, but that is his only reaction. He stares at me through those stolen green eyes. It's creepy how much he seems to see. And it irritates me. Almost as much as it irritates me that I can't tell what he's thinking.

Suddenly, he grimaces, sighs and stands. He takes my full cup of tea and stands at the sink, washing it. Pathetic. As he does, he says, "I can't say I was expecting this, but neither can I say I'm truly surprised."

"It doesn't surprise you that you got a girl pregnant and never bothered to come see her?" My mother is still waiting for him. She refuses to believe the truth. Foolish woman.

He doesn't bother to look at me. Is he really that arrogant that he would turn his back to me? "I already said this once—I told many women I loved them. It is not my problem if they believed me. It is not my problem if they got pregnant because they were foolish enough to believe I might actually care for them. The first woman I ever truly loved was Shiori, but only as a son loves his mother. As you seem to love…Krista." He just compared himself to me, that son of a bitch. I prepare to attack, but he says, "You touch that dagger, and I will kill you before you have moved from that seat."

"You _bastard_."

"I would prefer not to kill you." He faces me, eyes flashing, almost their true gold. Is this what his anger looks like? "But never believe yourself to be safe from my wrath simply because of some idealized bond between father and son. That does not exist." Thank god. As if I need reminding that he's my…urgh. I can't even think it. And I get enough of that from Ma. He goes on, "I only want to avoid killing you because I'd rather not have to dispose of the body. And cleaning up after a man-eating plant isn't exactly fun. The blood would be difficult to explain."

Before I can respond, a powerful demonic aura appears out of nowhere. The front door opens and closes, and it draws nearer. But his eyes never once look away from me. He will look away first. I will not allow him to intimidate me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a young man enter the room and freeze, as if surprised. How could someone that powerful be surprised to find two people here? "What's going on here?" he asks, breaking the tense silence. "I came in to see who your friend was, but now I get the feeling that _friend_ isn't quite the right word."

"You think?" I hiss.

Kurama suddenly breaks away from my stare. When he speaks, there is so much condescension in his voice that my fingers instinctively twitch towards my dagger. But I must restrain myself. As he said, tactics are important. And I am not a fool. "Kayden here is the…result of a rather…impulsive relationship."

"_Impulsive_?" I whisper. "You view your relationship with my mother, if you can even call it a relationship, _impulsive_?"

Kurama glances at me, looking bored. He looks back at his friend as he addresses me. I'm not worth spit to him, and he wants me to know that, the bastard. "I figured you would prefer impulsive relationship to completely random…"

"One night stand?" the other man provides.

"Thank you, Yusuke," Kurama says sharply. _That's_ Yusuke Urameshi? Oh god. Brilliant. He still places himself among powerful friends. But if what he says is true…he too is that powerful. My eyes narrow, but Kurama sighs, "But as much as I wish it wasn't, that's true." He wishes it wasn't? That's not what he seemed to be saying earlier. I find myself trusting him less and less.

"A completely random one night stand." I can't bring myself to put any kind of emotion into my voice. I want to be angry, but I can't. I'm somehow _beyond_ anger, to the point where it no longer matters. "I am simply a…an unfortunate _by-product_?"

"Yes," he sighs. "I obviously didn't _intend_ to get your moth—Krista pregnant. The idea of…offspring was never part of the plan I had for my life." Does he actually sound regretful? Does this monster actually have feelings? No. It's all an act. He's trying to mollify me. It won't work. Then he grimaces. "Of course, neither was Shuichi." He looks at Yusuke. "And if not for my involvement, you likely would have been killed in that first fight with Hiei. And then where would the demon plane be? Amazing the repercussions of small actions."

"Small?" I ask. "Ruining my mother's life was a small action? What do you consider a large action?"

He ignores my question. "Go upstairs," he commands. He is ordering me around like I'm a child, like he was actually there to help raise me. Unbelievable. "I will be up in a minute. First door on the right." When I don't move, he adds, "If you think for a moment my life wouldn't be simpler with you dead, you are wrong. In addition, I could force you up those stairs without laying a hand on you. So either walk up those stairs, or my plants will bind you and carry you up. Your choice."

I am not so stupid as to think this is an idle threat. I glare then do as he asks. I enter the room he indicated, I shut the door, and the lock clicks from the outside. Damn him and his damn plants.

I settle onto the floor and attempt to calm myself. I close my eyes and listen. I can't hear them well, but I can hear well enough.

"What do I do, Yusuke?"

"You're asking me for advice?"

"Who else…to ask? You are the only one who knows the situation. …keep it that way."

"As far as I can tell, he wants nothing more than to kill you. So kick…and kill him if he comes back."

"I don't want to kill him, Yusuke." I glower. He sure had me fooled if that's true. But I don't believe it. I doubt he's above lying to his friends.

"It might be…Kurama. He might attack…a reason you don't want to kill him?"

Silence. Then, "I don't expect you to understand, Yusuke. At least not yet. But no matter what I…there is something there, at least for…"

"What are you saying, Kurama?"

"In the time I grew up, the most important thing was…or property. Almost as important was having someone to take over when…as Raizen passed his kingdom to you."

"So?"

"Don't you get it, Yusuke?" His voice gets slightly louder, and I can now hear every word. I get up and check the door, but the damn thing's still locked. I need to see his face to know if this anger is real. "That kind of thinking was so prevalent, is so ingrained that I _do not want to kill him_. No matter what I tell him, no matter how much he hates me, no matter how much I dislike him, no matter how unintentional he was, he is still my son. Do you understand, Yusuke?"

"Kurama…this is hard for me to figure. I wasn't raised in that kind of society. I don't have a…can't even guess on that part. My mother raised me…the possible exception of Hiei, I am the _last_ person who could give good advice on this. And it's throwing me off…looks at least five years older than you."

"He's seven and a half centuries younger. Try to think of my other form."

"In which case you look roughly the same age, by human standards, which is all I know." Now Yusuke too has begun to raise his voice. "The only difference is that your eyes are older. They tell of more destruction seen and done than his. But that doesn't necessarily mean older in physical years, Kurama, just in experience. I cannot even begin to comprehend this situation fully."

"Any ideas, at least?"

"Do nothing, I guess. But you should know…even I could see he was itching for a chance to attack you. So watch your back. And if he does attack…what will you do?"

"In theory or in practice? If it was anyone else, I would kill them. As it is, I do not know if I will be capable of letting go of these ridiculous…sentiments." Unbelievable. Even from here I can hear the bitterness in his voice. He resents me. _He_ resents _me_.

"I can't tell you what to do on this one, Kurama. It's not something I've experienced, as a parent or a child." I am not a child. I am much older than him.

"He's not a child, Yusuke." What? Where in hell did that come from?

"You get my point. The father-son thing…not exactly my area of expertise."

"I understand. Thanks for trying. I best go talk to him now."

"About _what_?"

"No clue."

Suddenly the door opens. "So," he says, making a disapproving face at me. "Did you find any of that enlightening?"

"What?"

"I know you were listening. I'm not stupid enough to think you couldn't hear us."

"Then why did you send me up here?" Bastard. Just wanted to prove he can control me, I'm sure.

"Shiori will be home soon. I try to shield her from the demonic as much as I can. The tail, the ears, the claws, not to mention the weapons. She doesn't need to see that."

I glare. So he did notice. What's his game? "I've heard that you're smart, that your eyes miss nothing. If that's true, how did you miss what my ears and tail meant?"

"The dark coloring you got from…Krista made it easier for me to…" He hesitates, then says, "Everyone is susceptible to denial, Kayden. I am no exception."

"Don't use my name."

"What would you have me call you then?" His eyes are hard, but they are somehow mocking. "Would you have me call you boy, since that's what you are to me? You're young and haven't the experience necessary to carry out what you've come to do. Better yet, son. Would you have me call you that, Kayden?"

That… "You are neither my father nor my friend."

He smiles calmly. "As you heard me tell Yusuke, there is no escaping the fact that you're my son. Your genetic code attests to that. I will not, however, assume I can act as your father. Neither do I believe we can be friends. I merely wish to treat you as an equal in an effort to avoid bloodshed."

"I will not rest until you have paid for what you did to my mother."

Suddenly he starts laughing. He's sitting there _laughing his ass off_ at me. "What. Is. Funny," I spit. I am finding it harder and harder to tolerate his repulsive personality.

He calms himself and says, still grinning, "I find myself appreciating life's little…ironies isn't quite the right word…At any rate, you essentially want to punish me for the actions that brought you into this world."

"Don't give me that bull. I want to punish you for breaking my mother's heart."

"Those are one and the same. I am not to be blamed for the fact that your mother believed my lies. You could just as easily been the result of my staying the night with a woman who did not believe me."

"You son of a bitch!"

I cover the few feet between us and move to plunge the dagger through his heart.

* * *

What fun, what fun! Sorry there hasn't been an update...how long has it been? Oh never mind. Too long. I only own Kayden, and now I must answer reviews!

animegrlsteph: You really think I have something _planned_?

Yellow Jr.: I'm glad you liked how Kayden was portrayed. That's something I was worried about, since this is the first story I've written from a male OC's POV. I'm also struggling with keeping Kurama in character this story. He seems to be leaning more to his pre-Shuichi side, as though Kayden is dragging him back to his past.


	3. Chapter 3

Kiyoshi: We're back.

FCL64: I know that.

Kiyoshi: I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to the readers.

FCL64: Oh. Well, we only own Kayden. Here's chapter three.

* * *

Before the knife so much as touches his flesh, I am immobilized by his freaking plants. No matter how hard I pull at the plants, I can't break free. The only effect my struggling has is to make the vines tighten painfully around my wrists and ankles. I glare at him. "Let me go." I cannot let him see the pain I'm feeling. But it's not that bad. Not yet. There were always the rumors that he liked torture.

"I don't feel like it at the moment," he replies, glaring back at me. But somehow his glare is calm. His anger is calm. It's disturbing. Rage does not cloud his mind as it does the minds of most. His rage does not rule him. He can think things through as clearly right now as if he were not angry. "In case you've forgotten, you just tried to kill me. You're more foolish than I thought. I was under the impression that I had given you ample warning."

"You insulted my mother. Now make your point."

He nods. Then he stands. It pisses me off that he didn't need to stand to subdue me. I am not weak. One by one he pries my fingers off the knife, the action made easier by the fact that I'm beginning to lose feeling in my extremities.

He very gently runs the blade across a finger. As it oozes blood, he smiles. "Very sharp. That doesn't even sting. Of course, it loses something if you're going for pain…but right now let's focus on your stupidity."

"Stupidity?" I ask, moving forward. Or trying to move forward. The plants just tighten, holding me in place.

"Yes, stupidity. And recklessness. When an opponent is this much more powerful than you, such a direct attack is more often than not fatal." He walks towards the door. "In addition, you should never allow your emotions to rule you so entirely." My fingers are cold. He still won't look at me. "And it is never a good idea to attack someone in their own home. There will always be some unseen defense."

"Are you lecturing me?" I snap.

"I figure someone should." He spins and flings my knife at me. It flies past me, coming within two inches of my head and embeds itself in the wall behind me. "Otherwise you'll get yourself killed. Keep in mind that you are at my mercy right now. And your mother obviously never taught you to fight."

"Leave my mother out of this, you son of a—"

"Language, Kayden," he interrupts me. "Be polite. Control your emotions."

"Now you're just mocking me," I spit. "And why teach someone who will only use it to kill you?"

"Perhaps I am mocking you." He shrugs, taking a few steps back towards me. "Why teach it? First, it will be a long time before you can compete with me. Second, it makes things more…interesting." He smiles and walks towards the door again. This is nothing more than a game to him.

As he reaches the door the plants whither and fall to the floor. Painful feeling returns to my hands and feet. "Be thankful I didn't use the roses. Their thorns can tear flesh apart. The way you were struggling, you might've severed something and bled to death." I take a step after him, and he freezes. "Be warned, Kayden: next time you attack, I will not hesitate to bring out more dangerous plants."

I hate to admit how eerie and ominous that sounds. Or the fact that it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I walk backwards till I'm up against the wall, and I wrench the knife out with my left hand. My eyes narrow, but he doesn't see that as he walks away, still so confident in his abilities that he will leave his back open.

But I have my demonic tricks too. And I will find a way to kill him.

Without warning, he faces me again. "On second thought, why don't you stay for dinner? I'll have to let Shiori be exposed to the demonic eventually, especially considering the way it's following me. And, in all honesty, I'd like to know where you are, so I don't have to worry about you trying something stupid."

I glare. "And have you poison me? I think not." He may believe I'm stupid, but he surely doesn't believe I'm that stupid.

He shakes his head. "Shiori will be cooking. After watching me for nearly a month, do you believe she is capable of intentionally harming anyone?" I don't answer because I know he's right. And I'm sick of him always being one step ahead. Hearing my silence he laughs. "Good. And Shiori's home. You might as well meet her now."

"You aren't afraid I will attack her to get to you?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Three reasons. First, you love your mother too much to kill someone else's mother, even if it's my adoptive mother. It's the idea of a mother that's important to you. Second, if you try to kill or harm her, I will kill you before you have even come close. And you have already seen how quickly I am capable of responding. Third," he grins mockingly _again_, "If you really intended to do something so foolish, you would not have asked me about it first."

Why does he have to be so damn logical all the time?

* * *

Hurrah for chapter three. Now to reviews.

animegrlsteph: Um...no. I love Kayden. You know, Kayden is kind of...well, let's be honest, he doesn't think things through very well. But the way he feels towards Kurama is completely understandable.

Yellow Jr: Yeah, I was working on the Yoko side. The only thing is...urgh. I am trying to get both sides of Kurama, but it's proving rather difficult. Sorry about the short chapters. I just kind of let the chapters happen as they will...


	4. Chapter 4

Kiyoshi: Why? Why do you write this? You should be writing your story?

FCL64: My story? First off, it's our story. Second, YOU'RE THE MORON WHO STARTED THIS STORY IN THE FIRST PLACE! I CAN'T WRITE ANY STORY WITHOUT YOUR HELP!

Kiyoshi: You can write Runaway Train without me.

FCL64: Oh, quit pouting. That's the one exception. And you probably send subliminal messages to Anna in order to get her to do what you think she should do.

Kiyoshi: Well…

FCL64: KIYOSHI!

Kiyoshi: Hey, who could possibly use subliminal messages to control Anna? Her mind doesn't work like anyone else. On to the story now, in which we only own Kayden.

* * *

At the bottom of the stairs, he stops and says, "Wait here. I want to speak with her first."

"Who ever said I was staying?" I mutter. "And even if I was, you have no business telling me what to do. But you seem to be doing that a lot anyway."

"I won't swear to it, but I could probably beat you using martial arts alone. Based on the demon plane's politics—and simple rules of survival—he who has the most physical and spiritual power rules." He looks at me. "And even you are not foolish enough to pass up free food."

"Even me?" I snap back at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You figure it out. Mom!" he calls. That bastard. He has no right to call her mother. "I need to talk to you. It's important." He walks away, as always confident enough to expose his back.

"Yes, Shuichi?" she asks.

"Er…" Is he…uncertain? But even though he says he does want to kill me…even though he claimed to Urameshi he didn't know if he could…he has always seemed certain in his ability to kill me. How does this woman bring this reaction about?

"Shuichi?"

"Well…" Perhaps this woman is the key to his emotions. Harming her…there is no doubt in my mind he would kill me if I tried that. However…there are other options. "Have you noticed the change in the news lately? The shift to the rather…supernatural?"

"All this about demons and aliens?" she asks. "Yes. Although, it's all rather ridiculous, isn't it?"

"Actually…" There is obvious reluctance in his voice. How can I use this against him?

The vague sounds of movement in the room cease. After several seconds of silence, she asks, "Don't tell me you believe it, Shuichi? I thought you had more sense than that."

"Well…several of my friends _are_ demons. I've…seen the proof. Some of them were involved in bringing about the change that allowed demons to once again cross into this realm."

"Who?" she whispers.

"Hiei, Yusuke…then Botan is of a different nature entirely…"

"But they all seem so _human_."

"Yusuke…he's a complicated case, as is Botan. Hiei is very skilled at hiding his demonic traits in order to blend in." Hiei too. Crap. Such powerful friends. Where does he stand with Yomi now, I wonder?

"Why tell me all this now?"

"Until very recently it was illegal for all but the weaker demons to exist in the human plane."

"Illegal by whose standards?"

"Actually…according to the laws set by the rulers of the demon plane and the rules imposed by the Underworld."

"Oh dear god."

"But…you're more and more likely to encounter the demonic. And, in the other room, there is a demon I have invited to stay for dinner."

There is silence. Then there is a frantic clanging of pans…is she more worried about preparing a good meal than she is about having a demon in her house? That's just messed up.

I walk in, and she says, "I'm sorry. I didn't expect to have…guests…" She trails off when she turns around. She just gapes as she tries to process my ears. I flick my tail to the side so that she can see it. I get a sort of vindictive pleasure in seeing her sink into the nearest chair looking faint.

Kurama purses his lips but only says, "Mom, this is Kayden. Kayden, my mother Shiori." His eyes remain blank, but his voice grows colder by an almost imperceptible amount. "But you probably already knew that."

I smile. "Yes." He may have controlled the game when we were alone, but he made a vital mistake. He introduced me to his weakness. And I know precisely what he doesn't want her to know. Now it is I who hold the power.

The woman once again stands and begins preparing food. Kurama and I stare at each other across the table until Shiori serves us. "Thank you," I say. She did nothing to offend me.

"Thanks, Mom."

She sits down next to us but almost immediately jumps back up when the front door opens. She rushes to meet her husband and stepson. Kurama and I glare across the table at each other as she explains things to them in hushed tones.

"Hello," Kurama says as the three of them enter the room slowly, warily. His eyes don't break away from mine. He knows I have control. But then he gives a small smile, there only for a second and then gone. It reaches his eyes, but it is devious. He wants me to have control of this game. He gave me control on purpose. He hit the ball into my court to see how I will respond.

I will make him regret it.

"Hello, Shuichi. Nice to meet you, Kayden," the man says carefully. The three of them sit down, Shiori gives them food, and we begin to eat.

After a long silence, she asks, awkwardly, "When did you two meet? And how did you become friends? There seems to be a lot of…tension between you."

Kurama doesn't answer. He wants me to. The bastard is analyzing every single thing I do, every movement I make, every word I say. "We met today. And friends is not the right word. I came to kill him."

His eyes narrow, but his lips twitch upward. It's just for a fraction of a second, but in the complete, shocked silence, it is enough. He _knew_ I would do this. He isn't surprised. And he thinks he still controls this game.

"You're kidding," the boy finally says.

"No."

Seeing I am completely serious, the man asks, "Why? What could Shuichi have done to you to make you feel that way? Surely killing him is a bit extreme."

"Not extreme," I contradict. My eyes still have not left his. Neither have his wavered. "In the demon plane, the law of the jungle prevails. The strong survive, and the weak…do not."

Kurama finally speaks. And I can see that his words are calculated only to irritate me. "Then of the two of us, it would be you who did not survive." Unfortunately, it works.

I see the woman's eyes widen. Before she can speak, I add, "An eye for an eye."

"Shuichi hasn't…_killed_ anyone?" the man asks in shock.

"I want revenge for how he stole my mother's life. And he has killed people. Fighting for power in the demon plane demands it." I grin. Are you expecting this one, you bastard? "Right, Kurama?"

His eyes flash. "Yes, on occasion." He nods once, but only I see it for what it is. He is showing me that I just made a good move. Yet he is still unfazed. This has not ceased to be a game of chess to him.

"Kurama?" the man sputters. "Who's Kurama?"

Palm up, I let one finger fall toward Kurama. "Your Shuichi. He is actually an infamous thief and fox demon."

Shiori stands up angrily. "If you insist on making such ridiculous claims about my son, I must ask you to leave. You have the wrong house. My son is neither a demon nor a killer."

"No, Mother," he says, his voice low, eyes still on mine. "He speaks the truth." In the blink of an eye, the red and green have been replaced by silver and gold. _What_? He would…no. This totally changes this entire game. It takes all the self-control I possess not to get angry. His eyes don't leave my face, even as he moves to catch Shiori as she falls to the floor in a dead faint. "Hide your surprise, Kayden."

He can see surprise in my face? "You son of a—"

"Language," he warns me mildly, cutting me off. "There is a child present, Kayden."

I glare. He was always in control of this game. He admitted I made a good, well-calculated move. But he was in control the whole time. And he knew it. That pisses me off. He knew what I would likely say, and he had already planned out what he would do in response.

"I'm not a child," the boy objects.

"Thirteen years is nothing to twelve hundred."

Shiori moans and opens her eyes. The golden eyes above her soften and look down. "Why?" she whispers.

"I was nearly killed. Shuichi was the only escape."

"Why does Kayden want to kill you?"

"Family dispute." He would tell her that? This isn't right. He keeps changing the rules of this game. The only rule that seems consistent is that Shiori not be harmed.

"…family…?"

"Brothers?" the boy asks. I wish. I would not need to kill a brother.

"Father and son." His voice is harsh, unforgiving, unrepentant and uncaring.

"Oh…" the woman mutters.

He stares at me. "I may have broken your mother's heart, but you need not punish Shiori for my faults."

"You have shown her everything." He's winning. My plan backfired. Or his succeeded. I'm not sure which view of this situation is worse, my failure or his success.

He grins. "Yes. I suppose. You attempted to use my weakness against me. I countered that by throwing at you the verbal equivalent of a curveball."

"Is this…is this a _game_ to the two of you? Is it a _game_ to uproot your mother's entire life?" the man asks. "You're killing Shiori over a…a goddamn _mind game_?"

He looks at his father and brother. Then he says, "Mind game, yes. Killing her, no." He looks at me. "I still haven't played my ace." His eyes glint as they return to the other two. "Never speak of this night, and no permanent harm will have been done."

Shiori's eyes drift shut, and a sweet scent fills the room. "What do you mean, no harm?" the man snaps.

Kurama smiles gently. "Dream-flower pollen. When she wakes up she'll remember little, if any, of what has happened since you got home. If she does remember anything, it will be so vague she'll think it was merely a dream."

Dream-flower pollen. His ace. No matter what I do, he won't let me close enough to hurt her. Anything he doesn't want her to know, he'll erase from her memory.

"Damn you," I whisper.

"As I said, tactics are important. He who is a step ahead will always win."

"Damn it, you bastard."

He grins at my anger. As if to rub salt in the wound, he replies, "Checkmate."

* * *

Hurrah, and on to reviews!

sychopenguin5: Well...this story is honestly one of the first where I have no idea where it's going. I might make it end well or badly...not sure...

animegrlsteph: ummm...yeah. Kayden deserves pretty much everything Kurama throws at him. At the same time...Kurama deserves at least part of what Kayden's trying to pull off. Good thing Kayden is failing. Miserably.


	5. Chapter 5

Kiyoshi: You should be writing Anna.

FCL64: I thought you didn't like that story since you don't get to help.

Kiyoshi:…Well…at any rate…shut up.

FCL64: Okie-dokie, we only own Kayden. Here's your chapter.

* * *

Calm, Kayden. He is just trying to anger you. I can't give him that satisfaction. As the woman falls into a deep sleep under the influence of the pollen, he stares at me. The boy and the man watch us. I must ignore them.

Then he smiles. "Well done." What? What is talking about? "Your emotions, Kayden. I saw a flash of anger and then one of confusion in your eyes, but each was present only for a fraction of a second. No one can hide emotions completely."

"Make your point." I somehow manage to say it calmly, but I get the feeling that he still hears my irritation. His gold eyes look at me. I can see nothing in them. They are hollow, as cold and empty as his heart.

"I could hardly read your face, Kayden. I, who have been studying emotions for years, barely caught it. Yomi might have based on his other senses, but very few others would have noticed it at all. You learn quickly." Is he _serious_? Is that what he considers a compliment? Is this another one of his lessons?

The man shakes his head in disbelief. "Games. Games. Unbelievable. Shuichi, I never—mind games. Good god." He gets up and takes his plate and his wife's from the table.

The boy just looks fascinated. Staring at Kurama, he says, "You're really twelve hundred?"

"Give or take a decade or two. Time wasn't quite so accurate back then. Especially in the demon plane." He stands and easily lifts Shiori from the ground. When he turns to carry her to the stairs, the young one sees his tail, and his eyes go wide.

Then, while he is gone, the child asks me, "How old are you?"

"Around four hundred and thirty." Why did I answer? I do not care what he thinks.

The boy shakes his head. A human—especially a young one—could never truly understand age as it applies to demons. "You both look so young though."

"You're not at all surprised?" Why does this child so easily accept a truth that nearly gave his stepmother a heart attack?

"Shuichi was always weird." He picks at his food. "He never had many friends while our parents were dating. Then Mom got sick, and he suddenly had a bunch of friends who were at least as weird as him. He began to disappear for long periods of time."

"Why do you think he was…weird?" How can I discuss this so calmly? And why is it difficult to say that word, weird? Is it because I know that he is a malicious killer who believes himself above the need of companionship? But perhaps listening to this child will give me something to use against him.

The boy sighs. "There was never any reason for him not to have friends. That's what was weird. He's polite, nice to everyone, he takes care of our mother."

What? None of that is true. Well, the last bit is, but he is not kind, and any politeness he shows is a transparent fake. But the kid believes what he is saying.

"Learn anything?" I turn and see him leaning against the doorframe. How did I not notice him? Was I really that absorbed with the conversation? Then he continues the question, "About me or yourself?"

Myself? "I learned that your act over the past seventeen years has been very effective," I reply. "What do you mean by learning something about myself?"

"First, the act ended seven years ago, when I truly began to care for Shiori," he explains easily. Why is he suddenly so…talkative? This does not sound like another one of his lessons. "As for what you could learn about yourself, we are not so different, Kayden, you and I."

I am on my feet, dagger out before I have time to think. "Take that back," I hiss. "We are nothing alike."

"You will have to face it someday," he answers, reaching up behind his ear. "Most obviously, we would both do anything to protect our mothers. Second, I can seen in your actions and words that we are both capable of being cruel if the need arises." Does he looks sad? "But to counter that, we are also somehow capable of kindness. We are intelligent—even if you don't think things through completely. We do not forget—and rarely forgive—injuries. And based on your conversation with my brother, you value the words of children."

"What?" What does that mean? What is there to values in the words of one so young?

As an answer he says, "I enjoy speaking to children. They say the most profound things. Very few understand the wisdom to be found in the words of the young and…relatively innocent."

I am silent. I have noticed this as well. Then the boy asks, "Like how little kids who are four or five say things that they don't realize have lots of meaning for adults?"

"Very much like that," Kurama muses. "Except even older children and adults are somewhat naïve, can say things that seem quite enlightening to someone as old as me. Someone who has led a life such as mine."

"Kayden said you killed someone," the boy says, suddenly eager. Fascinated by the loss of life. That should never be the case. Accepting the reality of death is one thing, as is being willing to kill to achieve a purpose. But bloodshed should not be the source of fascination.

He seems to agree, as his answer is reluctant and obviously not what the boy is looking for. "Yes. I have taken the lives of others."

"Others?" The boy's eyes are wide. "How many?"

Kurama suddenly looks very tired. "Many. Far too many…I lost count over the course of a millennium."

"When did you last kill someone?"

Quietly, seeing the boy will not go without an answer, "Six months ago, in an effort to gain complete control over the demon plane."

The boy falls silent. I doubt he was expecting his brother to have killed anyone. The strange man with silver hair and golden eyes was one thing. But now his seventeen year old brother has been turned into a murderer.

Then Kurama leans forward and drops something on the table. I look closer. A seed. "A child," he says quietly. As we watch, the seed splits open and begins to grow. At first, I can't tell what it is. Green tendrils soft and vulnerable spread across the table. "Unbiased, with great potential." Suddenly, I recognize the plant. A rose. It continues growing, sprouting buds—and thorns. I can see where this is going. This is officially a lesion. "But the child grows, suddenly capable of both beauty" Roses bloom across the table. "and great destruction." He reaches forward and pricks his finger on a thorn. "And in the wrong environment…the destruction can grow." The rose continues growing, but suddenly the thorny vines are far more prevalent than the roses. Then, without warning, the flowers whither. "Such destruction kills one's spirit. With the spirit dead, it is difficult to go on." The plant turns brown and collapses. After staring at it for a while, Kurama murmurs, "The soul and the spirit are very delicate things."

Then the fox demon is gone, the body of Shuichi Minamino takes his place. He clears the table of plant debris and dirty dishes. He opens his mouth to tell me something but stops himself. I wait. Then he grins, awkwardly this time, and it doesn't reach his eyes at all. He's forcing it, hiding something. Then he says, "Human conventions. I almost said something I would regret. Force of habit." Then he takes the plates, the plant and the food away from the table.

Why do I get the feeling that he barely managed to avoid revealing another weakness? Our mother—we share that weakness. But I can't imagine what else he would have to hide. He does not seem to have any other weaknesses. Unless he was telling Urameshi the truth when he said he felt some weird, uncalled for connection to me.

I do not understand. This man…my—he bewilders me. He confuses me to no end. And now…do I simply wish to kill him, or do I want to understand how he thinks first?

No, Kayden. Stop. I can't think like that. That's what he's working for. He wants me so confused that I will postpone killing him. Any unnecessary delay will make it harder to kill him. And until he is dead, my mother cannot move on.

"You look odd," he says, reappearing in the doorway. "What are you thinking of?"

"Killing you."

"Intimidation and threats," he laughs. "Good tactics, if ineffective in the situation. For intimidation to work, your opponent must believe you are stronger." The laughter disappears from his face. "How many people have you killed, Kayden?"

Four. "I do not know." If I were to tell him that number, he would think me weak.

"I'm willing to bet that I could count that number on one hand, Kayden," he says. How could he know? I don't know whether he sees the question on my face or if he's just continuing his initial thought, but he adds, "I have already established that you do not fight, Kayden. You have the weapons but only a rudimentary knowledge of how to use them. My advice: keep the number of dead limited to one hand."

I stare at him. "If you do not wish me to kill, why teach me to fight?"

"One can be taught to fight, but one cannot be taught to kill."

"Killing can be taught," I counter. "Assassins are trained, are they not?"

"The physical act, perhaps. But to truly kill, the blood on your hands must wash away with the stream. You must feel nothing. If you cannot kill the memory, the deed is not complete. That cannot be taught, nor should it be. I wish for you to fight because it is sometimes necessary for survival. Killing is not. I will not, however, assume I have any influence of how you put those skills to use. I repeat, keep the number of dead limited to one hand." He sighs. Again that odd tiredness crosses his features. But this time it looks even more out of place on his all too human features. Oh. I understand. It's the tiredness not of physical of mental exhaustion, but the apathy borne from too many years lived, too many battles won and lost, too much blood shed. "I now wish someone had given me that advice," he finally continues. "I have killed so many. And each time, the act of killing—truly killing—gets easier. I am to the point where there is a man dead before me at my hands, and I feel nothing. Don't let yourself be that way, Kayden. It is not worth it."

"I must kill you. My mother's heart has been broken for far too long."

"Would it not hurt her more to know that you killed me?"

I hadn't thought of that. "She only needs to know you have died. She does not need to know how. If she learns you were killed, it will give her a reason you never came back."

"Very well. You may try. I highly doubt you will ever succeed." The hard edge has returned to his voice and eyes. He disapproves. Good.

"Why are you so damn arrogant?" I find myself asking. "I can increase in power. One day I will surpass you, and you will die by my hand, you bastard."

He remains calm, as always. As always, it's irritating. "Careful, Kayden. Words are powerful things. Many would use that as an excuse to attack. Many would be quite offended." Why must he enunciate every syllable so clearly and carefully? It's driving me mad. "Or are you simply doing it to try and make me angry? Because that is really a very childish thing to do, Kayden."

"I guess being an ass is a genetic trait, then," I snap. He stares at me a moment, then he begins laughing. "What's funny?" I spit.

"Just the idea that that is quite possibly true." He chuckles. "At least you have the opportunity to grow out of it."

"No," I mutter. "Not if it's genetic, since you obviously haven't."

"I am still learning, Kayden." He sighs and repeats, "Still learning…"

There is a silence of nearly two minutes before his brother asks, "Kayden, are you staying here tonight?"

"And have him murder me in my sleep? I think not."

"You know I have no intention of kill you," Kurama says. "And I'm sure the couch would be more comfortable than the neighbors' roof."

He even knew where I was watching him from at night. Damn it. I knew there was a slight chance he might be my equal. But based on the aura he emits in this form, I never imagined that I would be outclassed at all, let alone by this much. "You're not worried I might try to kill you?"

He shook his head. "Not for the moment." The moment. That means he believes I am capable of surpassing him. He won't make it easy, but he admits it is possible. Good. He's taking me seriously. Then he adds, "And you're far to confused and curious to try anything tonight. You want to learn. As I said, you're intelligent."

I do not understand at all. All I know is that I will most likely stick around to see what he has to teach. Very few teachers have as much experience as Kurama. Perhaps the along the way I will figure out how his mind works. Because it obviously gives him an edge in battle.

* * *

Reviews, I think.

animegrlsteph: If you enjoy seeing Kayden fail and Kurama win, you will probably continue to enjoy this story because, as far as I can tell, Kayden is a hot-headed failure-at-life. Well, not really the failure-at-life part, but he doesn't quite think things through as well as he should.


	6. Chapter 6

FCL64: DUH DUH DUH!

Kiyoshi: Uh-huh.

FCL64: Why you hatin' on me?

Kiyoshi: Right.

FCL64: *glares* We only own Kayden. *continues glaring*

* * *

I wake up on my feet, dagger out, mind already preparing to channel aura if it becomes necessary. I knew it wouldn't be safe to stay here, damn it. Where is that bastard? He's hiding his aura, and his plants aren't making it any easier to concentrate.

Calm, Kayden. That's what he keeps telling you. If he was trying to kill you, you'd be dead already. He's testing me.

Well, I'll give him a small demonstration of what I can do. I calmly let energy flow into my weapon, the aura sharpening it, refining it, extending its reach by a few centimeters.

With small precise movements, I lash out, cutting the plants to pieces with more ease than I would have expected from him, even on a test.

There is a dark chuckle from the doorway, and the remaining plants collapse in a heap on the floor. I turn to glare at him. Before I speak, he says, "You did well. Far better than I expected. It took you less than three seconds to be on your feet. Not ideal, but considering you were asleep, I'll take it."

"It's rude to attack a guest," I say.

He laughs. "Only rude if I actually intended to kill."

I can't help but frown. I don't understand what he's playing at. "How do I know you didn't intend to kill?"

He grins wryly. "If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead." He takes a few steps toward me, crosses his arms and adds, "But you already knew that. And," he continues before I can object, "You've been holding out on me, Kayden."

Holding out? What could he mean by that? "I have no idea what you're talking about."

He rolls his eyes, condescending as ever. "In all honesty I was expecting as much. How can you expect me to teach you if I don't know what you can already do?" He walks to the window and asks, "I also get the feeling that you still haven't shown me the true extent of your abilities." He turns to stare at me. "Have you, Kayden?"

"No," I answer in surprise. He's giving me credit for that?

He nods, looking pleased. "First, hide your surprise. It's a weakness. Second, if you expect to learn anything, you need to tell—or show—me the extent of your abilities. I cannot teach you otherwise."

"Teach?" I ask sarcastically. "Is that what you call a sneak attack in the middle of the night."

He smiles sardonically. "I didn't figure direct instruction would be very useful in teaching you, Kayden. You seem disinclined to listen to anyone's advice. Least of all mine."

"Why do you think that is?" I mutter. He begins laughing, though this time it's as though he finds something truly humorous. "What?" I demand.

"Just…I do not want to tell you, Kayden," he replies, composing his features so that he is suddenly serious. "I do not wish to anger you."

"You attacked me in the middle of the night. It's a bit late for that."

He smiles. "Very well. You remind me of myself when I was younger, much younger. In my first century or so, I too was rather…hotheaded, sarcastic and arrogant."

He's calling _me_ arrogant. "You're still arrogant."

His eyes spark with delight. He's having fun. "When the situation calls for it. Now, do you want to tell me your capabilities, or do you want me to trick it out of you?"

"Any object. I put my aura in it, and it becomes more effective in its intended use." Better to tell him on my terms.

He shakes his head. "I knew that from the trick with the knife. Even skilled humans can do that, Kayden." I bristle in irritation, and I'm sure he notices, but he doesn't say anything. ""I meant how far can you take that, and what else can you do?"

"I can use objects until they're as proficient as their physical nature will allow." I hesitate.

"What is it you control, Kayden?" he asks. How can such a violent criminal possess a voice that can sound so kind, soothing, gentle? "What can you manipulate?" That must be how he got so powerful; he has a creepy ability to make you want to trust him. But I don't. Not in the slightest. Not in this lifetime.

But he's established that he cannot teach if he doesn't know. "Metal." But…

"But not very well, I take it," he finishes my thought. "Hide your uncertainty, Kayden. Hide all emotion around those you do not trust. And I know you do not trust me."

I take a deep breath to avoid getting angry. "No, not well."

He smiles. "I've heard it's difficult. Well, come to think of it, all things in nature are difficult. Plants and fire have a life all their own which you must overcome. Wind and water are tricky, changing on the slightest whim. I've heard that earth and metals are particularly stubborn."

"Tell me about it."

"Hmmm…" he suddenly says. "How long ago did you decide that to kill me was the option you chose for your life?"

"Three hundred and fifty years ago."

"Kayden…I believe your rage at me has been clouding your focus rather than giving you additional drive."

"What?"

"You hate me so much that you can't genuinely focus on improving your control and techniques," he explains. "Focus is essential. If you let your mind be clouded by rage you are more likely to regress than progress."

"So your first real lesson is to control my anger."

"Yes," he muses. "A difficult task, I understand that, but an important one nonetheless. Rage and hatred can increase the power one has exponentially at any given time, but it only lasts a short time. And they are very unstable sources of power. Perhaps a good way to put it is that rage is a good thing provided you do not let it take control."

I sit down on the bed as he turns to stare out the window at the empty street once more. Damn it, why won't my voice work? I don't want to listen to him. But even I can see the truth in his words. I remain silent.

He continues as though I'm not here. "The mind," he sighs, "is a very fragile yet very powerful thing. Remember that, Kayden."

Evidently he's more aware of my presence than I thought. "What do you mean?" More importantly, why do I care at all?

"The mind is what directs us to our actions. Our actions tell the world who we are, what we stand for, what we _believe_." He shakes his head as though trying to reorganize his thoughts. "Our minds are what make us capable of either kindness or cruelty, of creating or destroying. Kayden, it is far easier to fall onto the path of destruction than one would believe."

"I have to kill you."

"Very well. But let that be your last murder. You can follow either the path that builds or the path that destroys. You cannot follow both. And once you are on the path of destruction, it is very difficult to escape. The past never disappears, Kayden."

He closes his eyes and breathes in deeply, but he doesn't turn to look at me. "How can something capable of such great things also be capable of such terrible things? How can something capable of nearly infinite adaptations also be so…fragile?"

"Fragile?"

"There are countless things that can break the mind and spirit, Kayden," he murmurs. "What they are varies for everyone. But all the same, even though it is powerful and capable of convincing the body of things that are not true, it is easily destroyed."

I'm still a bit unclear… "What do you mean, the past never disappears?"

He looks at me and once again forces a smile onto his face that looks more sad and tired than it looks happy. "Seven years ago I decided to stop traveling the road of death and destruction. How many times in the past seven years has my past returned to haunt me?"

"You mean me."

"You, among others. You could probably be considered the reminder of the more shameful aspects of my past." Why in hell am I imagining an apology in his voice?

"All of your past was shameful," I accuse.

"Heh," he says. "That's precisely why I said the _more_ shameful aspects."

"How am I representing that?"

"Stealing does no physical harm. The murders I committed—they all knew they were risking their lives." He shakes his head. "But now I'm seeing that I did cause people immeasurable pain."

He regrets what he did? I'm so confused. Is he genuinely sorry? No. He's not. But then why am I wanting to believe him so badly?

"Well, I'm going back to bed. You can sleep, Kayden, I shan't attack again tonight. I need to figure out what your learning style likely is before I can do anything else." He smiles at me, green eyes glowing. "Goodnight, Kayden."

"Like I can sleep after _that_ attack," I snap, losing my cool slightly. "And don't tell me 'goodnight' like a father tucking his kid into bed, you arrogant bastard."

He smiles and nods. "Hide your anger and uncertainty, Kayden. Enemies are all too willing to use those against you."

"How?" I ask suddenly. Wait. No. I shouldn't be asking advice from this arrogant son of a bitch who broke my mother's heart.

He walks to the door and places his hand on the frame. "Anger is hard. You must learn to overcome it instinctively, so that hiding it is second nature. But uncertainty…" He turns to look at me. "Arrogance and condescension are good at hiding uncertainty." He vanishes.

* * *

animegrlsteph: In reality, it isn't the effect Kurama is having on Kayden that's making this...change occur. Kayden's just an idiot who needs to get in touch with his emotions and realize that killing Kurama is not why he sought Kurama out.


	7. Chapter 7

Kiyoshi: We're back.

FCL64: You are so boring.

Kiyoshi: No, I'm tired. And you won't let me go to sleep. You're forcing me to write. If this chapter turns out to be horrible, you cannot blame me.

FCL64: Sure I can. We only own Kayden. Happy readings!

* * *

He hands me a glass, taking one for himself. "I'm not drinking that," I tell him. "It's poisoned."

He grimaces, intentionally letting me see his disapproval. "How long will it take you to believe that I have no intention of killing you? Of the two of us, you are the only one who's homicidal."

"And you're a liar."

There is no change in his expression. He simply stands, grabs another glass from the cabinet and pours both drinks into it. He mixes them up thoroughly and pours them back into our glasses. Then he takes a drink of his. "Even if it were poisoned, it's no longer enough to kill a man. Satisfied? "

Not entirely. "You could have used a poison that has an antidote that you'll take the first chance you get, knowing I wouldn't trust you."

"I prefer more efficient methods of killing," he responds coldly. "So many things can go wrong with poison. On the rare occasions I have used toxins, they are fast acting with no antidote."

Now that one I believe. I take a drink of the pale, brown-green liquid and nearly choke. "What the hell is this?"

"Herbal tea," he replies calmly. "Part one of getting stronger: eat well."

"This is eating well?" I demand. "It's disgusting."

"Get used to it. I'm cooking our meals from now on."

I shake my head. "No you're not." I don't trust him. He'll just slowly make it so that I believe he has no intention of harming me, at least not with poison, and then he will strike. He was always known for his patience.

"You can watch me make everything. I will eat first, and Shiori can eat with us. Do you need any other safeguards?" Shiori can eat with us? He really means it then. He would never risk her life, not even with a slow acting poison.

"Fine." I take a deep breath and swallow some more of the volatile drink. "Now what? I thought you weren't planning on direct instruction." Like I want direct instruction from him.

He smiles. "Before the tournament, when everyone thought there would be a war, I was Yomi's second-in-command. I was also charged with training a group of six demons. Yomi wished that I double their individual TPs—total demonic power—in six months, bringing each of them up over one hundred thousand."

"What is the point of this story?"

"The point is that I succeeded," he says. "Therefore, based on that success, I have decided that the best way to train you is to repeat their training program. Of course, it's doubtful that I could double your TP in only six months."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He thinks I'm weaker than they. He is still underestimating me. I may not be skilled in controlling metal, but in controlling my aura I am far more proficient than most.

He looks at me curiously. "Nothing offensive, I'm sure," he answers. "It's just that I would estimate that your current TP is higher than theirs were at the time, meaning to double it would be that many more points to double. Unfortunately, you still would have been eliminated in the Tournament of Kings quite early on. In addition, you do not have the threat of a war hanging over your head; while it is still eat or be eaten, kill or be killed, the likelihood of such scenarios is far lower now. Finally, you are still far less willing to listen to my instruction than any of them were. You can take your pick of reasons why it will be difficult to double your power in such a short time."

So he can't double it because I'm stronger. I suppose that's not an insult, it's simply a matter of…numbers, it sounds like. With the exception of losing the tournament so quickly, it actually almost sounds like a compliment. When I don't respond, he says, "Kayden, I did not last long in the tournament either, and my TP was well over 100,000. I would estimate yours to be at around 80,000. The big players—Yomi, Mukuro, Yusuke, Enki, Kokoh—all had TPs in the millions. It is not shameful to lose early in such a tournament."

How could he possibly know that's what I was thinking? I think it's time to move on before he senses my confusion on that as well. "What does this training entail?"

"As I said, the first part is diet. The second part is physical exercise. The third part is mental exercise." He stops in a way that suggests there is more.

"And the last part?"

"Heh," he laughs to himself. "Very good. The last part was not part of their training program. It will be random attacks to test your improvement."

"Sure." Did I really just agree to this? Dear god, what in hell am I thinking?

"Kayden, I want you to carefully rethink your answer. While this is likely your best chance at improvement, if you choose this path, I will be training alongside you," he warns. "I too will be getting stronger."

"Then I will easily be able to compare our abilities," I counter.

He smiles. "Unfortunately, right now they are so completely unequal I will have to bring some others in to train with us. Are you comfortable with that?"

"Who?" I ask.

He shrugs. "It shouldn't be too hard to convince my old…pupils to return. As much as they complain about it, they truly appreciate the results of the training. In addition, I'm sure Yusuke wouldn't mind joining us to give me someone to compete with. And Hiei may be convinced to come, not that he'll admit he's being taught."

"Will they know?" I refuse to say it. I won't.

He smirks. "You are like a child, Kayden. You act as though not saying that I am your father will make it untrue." A _child_? I am not a child. Although I'm sure he's aware of my irritation, he continues as though he is not. "And they will only know if you choose to tell them." He pauses a moment then adds, "Or if Yusuke tells them, which I cannot promise won't happen."

I weigh others learning of our…relationship against training enough to kill him. "Very well."

He nods, drains his glass and stands, "Finish your drink and we'll go on a recruitment tour."

I look at the drink and swallow it in one gulp, doing my best not to gag. He takes the glass from me and places it the sink. "Hmmm…" he suddenly says. "Perhaps…yes, that would be best, I think. We are going to visit Yomi first."

"Yomi?" That does not sound safe. And I do not like it that he is confident he can simply drop in on such a powerful man with no warning.

"He has a device that measures an individual's TP," he responds. "I will be able quantify each person's individual improvement as well as qualify it. It's always good to have both objective and subjective data."

"You analyze too much."

"Perhaps you do not analyze enough," he answers. "Just wait until you meet Yomi. He was even more hotheaded than you a thousand years ago. Now he is at least as patient and analytical as I."

"Wonderful. There's two of you."

He laughs.

* * *

I enter the palace at his side, doing my best to appear at ease and confident. It is only minutes before a man appears before us. "Kurama," he says. "My dear friend, what a pleasant surprise. May I invite you to tea?"

Tea? Is this what powerful men do with their spare time? Sit around drinking tea? Kurama ignores me and replies, "Tea would be welcome. I would also be delighted if Shura would join us."

"Ah," Yomi replies smiling in an almost mischievous manner. "Are you wishing to organize a play date, Kurama?"

Excuse me?

"Not precisely. I will explain when we're all present."

"Very well." The man turns to a servant standing nearby. "Set four places for tea and have Shura dismissed from his studies for tea."

"Yes, sir." Who the hell is Shura?

It is only a matter of a few minutes before we are seated around a table. I am next to the bastard I came with, and I am seated across from a child that I can only assume is Yomi's son. I glare. I think I may know what Yomi meant by play date.

Yomi smiles across the table at Kurama. "This is an unexpected visit, Kurama. How can I help you?"

"I would appreciate borrowing the gadget that measures TP," he answers, taking a drink of the tea before him.

Yomi nods. Then he changes the subject, "Why did you never tell me you have a son, Kurama?"

"He's not my father," I spit.

"Ah, ah," the man replies. "There are some things you cannot hide from a blind man. There is a slight similarity in your auras that can only come from being related." He turns back to Kurama and says, "He does not appear to share your innate sobriety, however."

"That is one of the things we intend to work on," he answers. "As for why I did not tell you, it is because I was not aware of it myself."

"Interesting," the powerful man says. "That makes me assume that, unlike me, you went the… conventional route in producing offspring."

They speak of me as though I am something that has been manufactured. I can't help but notice that Shura looks uncomfortable. Kurama gives Yomi a small smile. "If you mean that I involved a woman in the process as opposed to using the most advanced science available, then yes. I did choose conventional, if not conservative. Admittedly, back then that science wasn't available and, unlike you, I never wanted children."

They speak of us as though we are not here. They speak of me as though I am a child. And this man…created a child without a woman? This is wrong. Children need mothers. Children need fathers.

Yomi nods and returns to the previous topic. "So, training. That's why you wish to use the aurameter. Now the question remains, why did you wish Shura to be here?"

He smiles. "As I'm sure you've realized by now, in my current form I have no hope of defeating Kayden. However, in my other form Kayden has no hope of defeating me. We need someone whose power level is closer to Kayden's."

Yomi nods. "So you wish to borrow my son in order to further your son's training."

"Fear not, Yomi. Shura will also reap the benefits of the training program. And you've seen how efficient it can be."

"I have," Yomi agrees. "Very well. Shura, pack your things."

"Yes, Father." The boys stands and runs from the room.

"I'm expected to fight him?" I ask. "He is a child."

"A child whose TP is currently higher than yours," Kurama answers. "Not by a huge amount, but that is not the point."

Yomi suddenly puts up a hand. Kurama stops speaking immediately, indicating the respect he holds for the man. Or fear. But somehow, I highly doubt it's the latter. Yomi turns to me and says, "You would do wise to show more respect where it is due. If you do not learn how to do that, you will end up getting yourself killed. Remaining calm and convincing others that your calm is real, even if it is not, is vital in a game as dangerous as this."

"Game?" I ask.

He grins. "Kurama, you are conditioning him for the next Tournament, are you not? It is always good to have someone on your side."

"Actually, the chances that he will ever be on my side are quite low." You think? "He wants to kill me."

"So you are training him." The other man's voice doesn't sound surprised at all. "Simply because you have nothing better to do with your time. Perhaps you should join me again, Kurama. Your human life bores you, as even a blind man can see."

"Perhaps it is boring, but it is comfortable. I will likely join you in a few decades." Why a few decades?

Yomi nods. "Human lifespans cannot compare to those of demons." Oh. Shiori. His mind always revolves around his mother. Always. He's not just using it as an excuse. Yomi turns to me again. "Why are you surprised, boy?"

"Do not treat me as a child," I respond.

"You are a child," he answers. "Now, why were you surprised?"

"I believed that his love for his human mother was simply a show."

"No," Yomi replies. "Which is unfortunate. One day it will likely be his downfall."

"So be it," Kurama answers. "As unlikely as that actually is. Anyone who tries to harm her will die."

"As you like." Yomi stands. "Thank you for your visit. You are always welcome here, Kurama. You as well, Kayden."

I nod. We leave the castle, followed by the boy Shura. He is carrying a device with two antennae at the top. "I do not trust him," I say.

"Yomi or Shura?"

"Neither. Although my distrust of the boy is solely because he is Yomi's son," I reply.

"That is very wise," he answers. "Since we parted ways a thousand years ago, Yomi has come a long way. He is a master of demonic politics. You are far more likely to be poisoned in that palace than you are in Shiori's house or at the temple. Depending on how many people are training, we may stay at Genkai's temple as opposed to Shiori's. However," he goes on before I can object, "we will all be eating the same thing, so your safeguard stands."

I nod. While I do not feel as comfortable with a few randomly chosen demons being my taste-testers as if Shiori was, it is enough. After a series of stops, we have collected a following of seven others. Kurama looks at me and warns, "I will take and record everyone's initial power when we arrive at the temple. Do not be surprised when you are the weakest of us."

I grind my teeth. That just means I'll have to work harder than everyone else, since I have more ground to make up.

Kurama takes a measurement of everyone's TP. "Do you want me to read them all off, or would you prefer to look at them individually?" he asks.

"I want to know what I'm up against," I answer immediately.

There is a general consensus, and one of the others, the one that smells of booze, shouts, "I wanna know how close I am to Yusuke."

"Ah second tha'." The speaker is a demon who is sitting legs crossed, four feet off the ground. Controls the wind.

"Just get on with it, Kurama," yet another says. "It's not like we won't be able to tell from the training."

He smiles. "How true. I'll start with myself. As Shuichi, 3,421." There is some snickering. He smiles, transforms and continues, "As Yoko, 761,058." Silence. I guess that number isn't something to laugh at. "Chu, 231,644. Link, 206,021. Jin, 404,559. Toya, 382,964. Suzuki, 274,087. Hiei, 759,981."

"Feh," Hiei mutters, leaning up against the nearest wall. "Numbers mean nothing." I've heard a lot about this man, but until now I didn't realize how true a lot of it now seems to be.

Kurama grins. "Shura, 110,231. Kayden, 91,746." I sound so lame next to all of them. Not even 100,000. "Kayden, you have had no formal training. All of them have. Yours is higher than I estimated, remember." Is he trying to make me feel better? Then he says, "You all sure you want to hear Yusuke's?"

"Yes!"

"Just tell me my damn number, Kurama!" Yusuke shouts.

"1,439,981."

Yusuke shrugs. "Not bad, I suppose."

"Not bad?" the one who's floating demands. "You're above a million!"

Yusuke rolls his eyes. "Which means nothing when compared to Yomi and Mukuro. What are they at?"

"My estimates…Yomi, around 1,600,000. Mukuro, around 1,750,000," Kurama answers.

"And they didn't _win_?" the boozer demands.

Kurama shakes his head. "Enki and Kokoh and the others are up in that range as well. Yomi was exhausted from his fight with Yusuke, and Mukuro doesn't exactly have the best battle strategy. She's very much a person who believes that force is one of the most important things in a battle." He smiles. "Now, who's ready to train?"

There is a chorus of groans. Is this really going to be that bad?

* * *

Well, first I'd like to apologize for all the numbers there at the end. Other than that, time for reviews!

animegrlsteph: I'm not really sure... I think he will but... as we discussed, Kayden's a moron.

FireStorm1991: Love the quotes around "relationship." Yeah, definitely. They'll both benefit. Assuming Kayden grows up a bit and stops acting like a complete and total MORON. Moving on...


	8. Chapter 8

Kiyoshi: Do you have any intention of letting me sleep ever again?

FCL64: Ummm…no.

Kiyoshi: Wonderful.

FCL64: Look on the bright side.

Kiyoshi: What bright side?

FCL64: At least I'm honest! We only own Kayden! Sorry the last chapter ended with so many numbers. And please note that, in the manga, 'Link' was translated as both 'Rinku' and 'Link' so I chose the one it was translated as for a larger number of chapters.

* * *

"I'd forgotten how much I didn't miss this food," the boozer, Chu I think, groans. But despite his complaints, he shovels it in as quickly as he can, as much as he can. The others are all eating large portions as well.

I pick at my food. It is disgusting, and the only drink he has provided is more of his 'herbal tea.'

Taking a bite, Jin tells me, "I would eat as much of tha' as ah could, if ah were you, Kayden. No telling when he'll feed us again."

"You make me sound like a slave-driver," he complains, but his manner is joking. How is it that these people have wrought such a change on his character? It does not seem to be a façade. He genuinely seems to enjoy this.

"That's because you are a slave-driver," the smallest one calls out. Link. That's his name.

"No," he replies, eating his food, his voice unassuming. "If you would please note, I am training with you. Would a slave-driver do that?"

There is laughter all around. I continue trying to gag down the junk he's served me. Chu says, "Jin is right, Kayden. While Kurama feeds us regularly, he drives us so hard th' rest o' the time you need to keep your strength. And while I can' say much for his cookin', whatever he's feedin' us works wonders."

I frown. They have nothing but praise for that bastard. But they seem to value his skill as a teacher more than anything else. I force the food down and don't object when he piles more onto my plate.

_The next day…_

"How is this supposed to help me build my spiritual power?" I demand. I've done more than five hundred push-ups today, as many sit-ups, and now he has me doing weight training. At least I don't look so weak in this area. My endurance is roughly equal to theirs, at the very least.

"Endurance is vital," he responds, his breathing even despite the weight he is benching. "If physical endurance is lacking, it hardly matters how long you can go spiritually since your body will give out long before your aura is spent." He is training as Shuichi. I'm not quite sure why.

I suppose that make sense. "I see," I admit reluctantly.

"When are we going to get to do some actual combat?" Yusuke shouts, hitting a punching bag with a force that should pulverize it. "This is boring as hell, Kurama."

"Day one: physical training," Chu calls out.

"Day two: mental training," Link answers.

"Day three: tactics, strategies and combat training," Toya finishes. "I trust nothing has changed, Kurama."

"Day four: rest until lunch, training of your choice afterwards," Suzuki adds. "Then we start it all over."

He shakes his head, setting the bar back in place. He sits up and says, "Except for Kayden. He'll be receiving random…supplemental training and tests." I snort. Supplemental training. Him trying to kill me in the dead of night. That's definitely what I'd call training.

"Ah don't envy you, Kayden," Jin says, doing what must be his thousandth push-up. "He nearly kills us as it is."

"Hmph," Hiei mutters, doing squats with a bar across his shoulder. "You are a bunch of wimps, if this is all it takes to make you think you're dying."

"It'll get worse, Hiei," Link says brightly, doing one-handed push-ups as though they're second nature. "He doesn't hate us enough to just throw us to the wolves like that. He eases us into the hard stuff."

"Two hundred sit-ups, Kayden," Kurama says to me. "Once you've finished your fifty reps with that bar." I frown and continue lifting the bar up and touching it to my chest, lifting it up, touching it to my chest. "And Chu, Link, Toya, Suzuki, a hundred extra push-ups. Non-dominant arm only."

"What for?" Chu objects.

"For forgetting the most important part of my training regimen."

The four of them groan and say in unison, "Eat healthy and get enough sleep."

"You haven't forgotten everything," he says, grinning with approval. "Finish whatever you're doing, including the instructions I've just given you, and then we'll break for lunch."

Break for lunch? He expects us to go on like this _after_ lunch too? What have I gotten myself into? I set the bar down, and I drop to the ground to do the sit-ups he ordered. He drops down next to me and says, "You're doing well, Kayden. But you do understand it is only going to get more intense?"

"Of course. I knew what I was signing up for."

"No you didn't. None of them did the first time around. Just look at the bright side. Shura was told to do this; this was your choice."

I frown. It would suck to have a father powerful enough to control you like that. Wait. Perhaps I should get to know the kid a bit better. It seems we have quite a bit in common.

Mainly our aura levels and the fact that our fathers are both psychopathic thieves who could kill us without moving from their chairs and without so much as blinking.

"What are you thinking, Kayden?" he asks me.

"Thinking about the things Shura and I have in common."

"Really?" He sounds intrigued. "Examples?"

"Our TPs and the fact that our fathers are both psychopathic killers devoid of any and all emotion who made a hobby of stealing anything and everything and who are capable of killing us on their slightest whim."

He grins in delight. Then Suzuki asks, "Who's your father, Kayden?"

Crap. I really just called him…oh dear god. Out loud. In front of people. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Who is it, Kurama?" Chu asks. "I know you know."

"I am staying out of this," Kurama replies. Heh. He was being honest when he said it was up to me to tell them or not. I catch him throwing a warning glance at Yusuke. Yusuke shrugs and nods. Then Kurama and Yusuke both continue their training.

"The only person ah can think of who is like Yomi in all the aspects he mentioned," Jin says, "is Kurama himself."

Everyone else howls with laughter. I redouble my efforts to finish my training.

* * *

sychopenguin: I'm not really sure if this story is going in the same direction I seem to have implied. The other characters, the training... it's all just kind of a catalyst for what's really important. I hope you'll keep reading anyway. :)

animegrlsteph: how'd you like Yusuke's number and his response to it?


	9. Chapter 9

FCL64: RAWR!

Kiyoshi: You are not cool enough to be a dinosaur.

FCL64: Thanks so much for your support. That's what I was going to be when I grew up. I guess that career option is out now, thanks to your negativity.

Kiyoshi: No problem.

FCL64: Is that a dinosaur or a green giraffe?

Kiyoshi: Don't say anything else. As seems to be consistent with this story, we only own Kayden. Have fun reading.

* * *

I. Can't. Move. I. Can't. Move. I. Can't. Move. I. Can't. Move. I. Can't. Move. I can't move. I can't move. I can't move. I can't move. I can't move I can't move I can't move I can't move I can't move. Ican'tmoveIcan'tmoveIcan'tmoveIcan'tmove.

The alarm continues to go off. I groan and sit up. How can so much of my body hurt all at once? It shouldn't be possible. I hit the off button and lay back down. No Kayden. Bad idea. He set that alarm. If you don't get up, who knows how he'll punish me.

I force myself to my feet and drag myself out to the kitchen, where I meet the others. All of them are yawning and stretching. Am I the only one who is hurting this bad?

"Damn, Chu," Yusuke says loudly, entering the room. "I thought you were exaggerating when you talked about how much this training program hurts. I haven't been this sore since my fight with Toguro."

"I haven't been this sore since the last time I was on this training program," Chu answers. "Ah, god, I need some booze."

Okay, good. I'm not the only one who's sore. I glance around. Now that I look closer, everyone looks as though they're in pain. Shura even looks close to tears. I almost feel sorry for him. But he's my first improvement marker. I have to surpass him first.

"Only at lunch, Chu," Kurama answers, appearing at the door. "You know the rules. Healthy eating only, although I accept that you need alcohol to be at your most efficient." What? That's it. They're all crazy. Every single one of them.

"Freakin' drill sergeant," Chu mutters, but he falls into a seat at the table, and everyone follows suit. I sit down next to Shura and Toya. We all watch as Kurama prepares a breakfast that is sure to be as terrible as it was yesterday.

Over his shoulder, Kurama asks, "Shura, Kayden, how are you two doing?"

"I hurt," Shura answers. "Even when Dad is giving me lessons himself, he doesn't make me work that hard." His voice is only half-complaining.

"Well, I suggest you get used to it," he replies kindly. "Kayden?"

"Muscles I didn't know I had are sore," I reply coldly. "Other than that, never better."

Jin laughs. "Ah, I remember mah first days with this training too. It only gets worse." Brilliant. That's what I have to look forward to.

Suddenly Toya turns to look at me. "Kayden," he says. "How did you end up here? If you continue as you did yesterday, you are putting forth more effort than any of us to improve. Why is getting stronger so important to you?"

I answer, "I need to kill someone who is much more powerful than me."

"Your father?" Jin asks.

I grind my teeth together. "Yes."

"Come on," Link says. "Tell us who it is. It's not like it'll make any real difference."

Somehow, I doubt that. Somehow, I think it will make all the difference in the world. "I'd rather not."

"At least tell us why you want t' kill 'im," Chu says.

"He convinced my mother he loved her, got her pregnant, then abandoned her and never looked back."

A silence fills the room. Then Kurama drops the food on the table, and we attack it. I didn't realize I was this hungry. But right now, I don't think I'll really care what it tastes like. It's still food. Sort of.

After eating, Kurama sets us to work with children's games. Puzzles, memory games, riddles. "Ugh!" Yusuke shouts after only a few minutes. "How is this supposed to help? They're games. They have nothing to do with fighting."

Kurama just smiles. He hasn't joined us in this, which is probably because he'd make us all feel stupid. "Just do it, Yusuke. Jigsaws keep the mind fluid and the eyes observant. Memory games, as the name implies, improve memory, always a good idea. Riddles help one think outside of the box." He looks at Jin and Link. "And no helping each other."

"We wouldn't do that," Link answers innocently.

"Not after last time," Jin mutters.

"What happened last time?" Shura questions, hands flying over the puzzle he's putting together.

"He punished us with strength and endurance training today," Link replies cheerfully. "You can imagine how difficult that is when you're already this sore."

It hurts just to think about that. I twist the rubics cube around in my hands, willing the colors to right themselves. I really do not enjoy human games such as this. Shura finishes the puzzle. "What now?" he asks.

Kurama smiles at him and nods in approval. "As I thought," he says. "Your father puts a lot of emphasis on mental abilities as well as physical ones."

"Yes," Shura says.

"You can take your pick of activities. Just remember, no help from anyone," Kurama warns, as I twist the colored squares in my hands, paying more attention to the conversation than the activity.

Shura quickly responds, "I won't need help."

Kurama nods in agreement. "I don't think you will."

I refocus on the toy in my hand and blink in surprise. It's fixed. All the colors are correct. I don't know how this happened. Moving as quickly as I can, I throw it at his head. His hand flashes up, and he easily catches it. "Impressive, Kayden," he says. "You were concentrating on both my conversations with the other as well as the rubics cube. At least mentally, you have some potential at multitasking."

"Whatever," I mutter, moving on to a puzzle. All I know is that Kurama really knows what he's doing. Mindless, physical torture one day, followed by physically relaxing, mental torture the next.

But after lunch, he tells us, "Aura fields. Go."

They all sit or stand and begin to concentrate. The room is suddenly overflowing with spiritual power. Shura and I stand off to the side. At least I'm not the only one who doesn't know exactly what he's asking for. He sees us and explains, "Sit, stand, lay down, I don't care. Find a comfortable position and try to draw as much energy out of the surrounding area as you possibly can. This is warm up for a few minutes from now."

I do as he asks. This feeling is odd. It feels so…cleansing. To feel my total power surrounding me. It's not encouraging, exactly, with everyone else's here. But it somehow calms my mind.

...

"Okay," he calls. "That's enough." The energy drains from the room, and he says, "Aura focusing now."

Everyone frowns. Yusuke groans. "I haven't been on this program before, but even I know what that means. How long do you expect us to do that, Kurama?"

"Just an hour," he says. They all look relieved until he adds, "For today."

We spend an entire hour balancing ourselves on the tip of one finger, trying to focus all our aura into a single point in an effort to keep ourselves balanced. With the exception of Yusuke and Kurama, we all fall at least once. Yusuke spends the entire time looking bored. "How are you so good at this, Yusuke?" Jin complains.

"Genkai would have me do it for hours on end while she sat and watched TV," Yusuke mutters. "A couple of times she made me do it for twelve hours straight, and every time I complained she tacked on another hour. I think one time I ended up doing this for eighteen hours with no break."

Kurama smiles from his place in the corner, where his point of aura is slightly smaller than Yusuke's. "Concentrate more, Yusuke. A single point remember."

"Yeah, yeah," Yusuke answers. "Whatever."

Once the hour is up, Kurama commands, "Jin, Toya, Suzuki, I want you in the other room. Yusuke and Hiei, outside would be best I think. Chu, Link, Shura and Kayden stay here."

"What are we doing, Kurama?" Toya asks.

"Jin, try to increase how quickly you can get your fists up to speed. Toya, practice your aim, since that seemed to be your biggest obstacle. Suzuki, as always, work on reducing the amount of area your attacks hit. Make them more precise." How can his instructions be so clear? How can they practice that kind of thing indoors?

They all leave the room, and Yusuke asks, "What about us?"

"Yusuke, try to work on dividing your shots so that you can have more than four in a single day." Kurama shook his head. "Hiei, do whatever you want since I know you won't listen to me anyway." Hiei smirks and follows Yusuke. Kurama calls after them. "Just no sparring, it must be aura-related, and don't burn down the forest!"

"Feh," I hear Hiei mutter derisively.

I turn to see that Chu is chugging some sort of alcohol. Kurama sees him too. "Okay, work on the mixing. Experiment with the effects incorporating different amounts of alcohol with your aura."

"Experiments," Chu slurs. "Awesome."

"Link, work on your precision. And try to sharpen the strings. Make the strings at least as painful as the yo-yos themselves. Shura, Kayden, you're with me." I frown. Of course I am.

I walk over to him. He turns to Shura. "What is it you can do?" he asks.

"Same as my dad," Shura answers, somehow managing respect and defiance at the same time.

"Nothing particularly exciting, then," Kurama replies. "Powerful enough, though. I want you to experiment with your basic aura and see how you can manipulate its different forms."

"Different forms?" Shura asks.

Kurama frowns. "I would have thought Yomi would have taught you this. There's the concentrated, as with the focusing and Yusuke's reigun. There's distributed, as with the aura fields. There's relaxed as when you're doing nothing. Those are the basic three, although it's shape can change while remaining in each form."

"Oh," Shura said. "My dad never called it forms. He called it aura states."

"Yes, I suppose that actually makes more sense," Kurama muses. "Three states, as with matter. Solid, or concentrated. Liquid, or distributed. Gas, or relaxed."

Shura nods and retreats to a corner. Kurama turns to me and pulls a knife from his pocket. He hands it to me. "Let's see what you can do and we'll move on from there."

Too bad it's just a butter knife.

* * *

okie dokie i'm not going to be a moron and delete the reviews this time. :)

animegrlsteph: after kiyoshi, kayden may be my favorite oc ever. and i'm not exaggerating, either.

Aristania: thanks so much!

FireStorm1991: Ummm... how do I put this? Well, I'll start with this: I have never been in a situation anything close to what Kayden is going through. But because I know what happens later in the story... never mind, I'll shut up. I don't want to offend anybody, and I'm afraid I will if I say anything else. Anyway, thanks for the review!


	10. Chapter 10

Kiyoshi: It's good to know you actually learn something at school.

FCL64: Hm?

Kiyoshi: As opposed to, oh I don't know, ignoring your teachers and writing random fanfics instead?

FCL64: I have no idea what you're talking about. Readers, please disregard anything he says. He's crazy.

Kiyoshi: I'm trapped in your head with no one else to talk to. Who _wouldn't_ be crazy?

FCL64: *frowns* Anyway, we only own Kayden. Oh, and there's a _Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves _reference too. (It's the Robin Hood with Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman and Allan Rickman.) Speaking of Robin Hood—

Kiyoshi: They don't need to hear a discourse on how you spent nearly twelve hours in one day watching five different versions of the same story. Kayden, go. Just go.

* * *

I take the knife from his hand. "What is it you want me to do?" I ask.

"What is it you can do?" he counters. I scowl. "Kayden," he sighs. "I need a baseline to build on. It makes no difference where you are. I just need to know so I'm not re-teaching or teaching something you can't possibly be expected to master yet."

I nod. I suppose that makes sense. I force my aura into the knife. All I can do is make the metal change shape. A spoon. I'll cut his heart out with it. It's dull. It'll hurt more. Like he said, my dagger is too sharp if I'm going for pain.

I glare at the knife. Come on! Calm, Kayden. Try to visualize every… separate… molecule. Why won't it change, damn it?

Slowly, slowly, the stubborn material begins to take on a different shape. Okay. I can do this. It continues changing, not quickly but not as slowly either.

After about a minute, the intricately decorated knife has transformed into a plain, boring spoon. But it's recognizable as a spoon. I'm breathing heavily. I sure as hell hope he can tell it's from frustration not exertion. I shove the spoon into his hand. "There. Happy?"

He doesn't look happy. He doesn't look anything. In fact, I don't think a single muscle in his face has changed at all. But suddenly he gives me a small smile. "Yes, Kayden," he answers. "I am happy. You made your skill sound less than it is. This makes my job easier. I don't need to explain complicated concepts. You know what you need to do, at least for now."

"For now?" I ask skeptically.

"Summoning is a slightly different and more complicated process than simple control," he answers. "For now, restrain your hatred for it will be what holds you back. Just practice. That's the only thing that will truly help you improve."

"Practice makes perfect," I mutter.

"Exactly," he says. He hands me the spoon. "First, return this to its original shape—details included." Damn it. "There are more in the kitchen if you need to compare. After that experiment with whatever metals you can find, weapons excluded. I'd imagine that the chemical composition of the metals would make a difference."

Yes. Very much. But I have also noticed that the value people place on the material makes a difference. Gold is a soft metal, but to manipulate it with my mind is at least as difficult as controlling steel.

He walks toward the door. "If you need anything, I'll be outside with Yusuke and Hiei." There is a loud crash, followed by several more thunderous noises. "Speaking of," he mutters, "It appears they're both too stupid to restrain themselves from combat." He runs out the door.

I sit at the table and concentrate. I get the knife back to the point where it's almost identical to those in the drawer. Almost. But not exactly. He'll notice the difference.

Damn. Why won't it change? Oh, screw it. I grab another knife and focus. If this works, it'll be a test of how observant he is. Hmmm. Odd. It perfectly matches the other. Already.

Maybe it's my desire to spite him. I work, methodically altering every single knife to match the first. There. All identical. Only problem is, they were part of a matching set.

I dump the knives back into the drawer and carefully rework the details of the rest of the silverware to match the knives. There. All different.

_Hours later…_

"Let me see your knife," Kurama suddenly commands Yusuke. Yusuke shrugs and hands it over.

He sets the two side by side on the table and analyzes them.

"Whatcha doin', Kurama?" Jin asks, shoveling in food.

Kurama ignores him. "Fascinating," he mutters. He looks up at me. "These knives are not the same, Kayden."

Oh yes they are. They're just not the same as before. I shrug. "I did my best." I continue eating. It's all just as gross as ever.

He on the other hand picks up his fork and compares it to the knives. Finally he says, "That's what I find fascinating, Kayden. You did a fantastic job. They're all exactly the same."

"You just said they're different," Yusuke notes, stealing his knife.

"Care to explain, Kayden?" Kurama asks expectantly.

"I tried to do as you asked," I say, glaring at him. I'm not even trying to hide my dislike anymore. "But I couldn't force myself to comply strictly to your request."

He watches me a moment. When he sees I'm serious, he begins to laugh. That bastard. "You hate me so much, and you are so stubborn that you would rather do all that extra work than do exactly as I asked," he laughs.

"At least I'm unpredictable," I say as mildly as I can manage.

"Yes," he admits. "I cannot honestly say I was expecting you to change all the silverware."

"Because honesty is definitely your strong suit," I mutter.

He snorts into the glass of tea he's taking a drink of. "How true."

_The next day…_

I drag myself out of bed and watch as the others yawn and sit up. Kurama decided last night it would be best if we all stay in one room. Easier for him to drag us all out of bed in the mornings, he said. Whatever. He's just trying to make me an easier target.

We eat a disgusting portion of breakfast then he sets us down and begins drilling us on tactics. And strategies. It's like we're playing a game of war.

"Any one of you has the potential to be a general in any of the strongest armies of the demon plane," he suddenly says, as though answering my unspoken thought. "You need to know these things. You need to be able to determine if the reward outweighs the risk or the sacrifice."

After a while, he divides us up and sets us to work playing chess. I'm up against Shura. No surprise there. What is a surprise is that the game seems to drag on and on forever. It takes each of us a long while to make a move. I can see that, like me, he is analyzing each of his possible moves. Weighing the risks and the benefits, the pros and the cons.

Ah, there we go. I move my bishop diagonally two spaces. "Checkmate," I say.

He reaches out and knocks over his king. Then he shakes my hand. "Good game," the kid says. "But I'll beat you in combat this afternoon."

"Maybe," I admit. "But he has this habit of pointing out that strategy is at least as important as power."

Shura smiles. "I actually kind of like you. Why don't you like him?"

"I've already told everyone that," I answer coldly. "He abandoned my mother. If you tell anyone who my father is, I will kill you."

He nods. Then Yusuke calls out, "Are you two finally finished?"

"What do you mean finally?" I ask.

"The rest of us are almost done with our third game," Toya answers. "You've been at that one game for more than three hours. Checkmate."

I glance at the clock. Wow. "Damn it," Yusuke curses. "That's the third one I've lost in a row."

Kurama nods. "Yusuke, play Kayden. Shura, play Toya."

I sit down at the chessboard with Yusuke. He doesn't seem to have much of a plan. He doesn't think through the possible consequences of each move. It isn't long before he's trapped. "Checkmate."

"Kurama," he demands. "Is this necessary?"

"Losing is good for your ego, Yusuke," Kurama answers.

"Losing would be good for your ego, too," I mutter.

He smiles. "That sounds like a challenge. I'll be over in a moment." He proceeds to quickly decimate Jin's troops, leaving nothing but the king. Two more moves and he says, "Checkmate."

He stands and walks over to me. "Well, Kayden? Are you up for a challenge?"

"Always," I hiss.

We sit down and start the game. It goes even more slowly than my game with Shura. Damn it. Why can't I—crap. Why'd I do that? I lose one of my rooks. Then one of my bishops and several pawns.

I capture one of his knights and both his bishops and nearly all the pawns have vanished from the board when he finally checkmates my king. He frowns. "I'm disappointed, Kayden. You didn't show nearly the amount of skill in this game as you did in your game with Shura. It would appear that my presence has a detrimental effect on your abilities."

"I wonder why."

He laughs at my sarcasm. "Time for lunch."

Lunch really isn't that bad, as much as I hate to admit it. Perhaps I'm just getting used to the junk he's feeding us.

Then he leads us outside. "Time to fight. Shura, Kayden, fight one on one. Chu, Link and Suzuki against Toya and Jin." He frowns in disapproval. "Yusuke, Hiei. I know neither of you will listen to me, so I suppose you can spar while I watch them. But not too much damage, okay? Yusuke, I want you alive so I can help Hiei pummel you."

"You wish."

So these matchups aren't necessarily even, not even as far as number of people goes.

With Kurama watching us, Shura and I begin to fight. Damn it, what the hell was that? No! I fall to the ground, and he's suddenly standing over me. "You're dead," he says. "I told you I'd win." Then he offers me a hand. I reluctantly take the boy's hand, and he helps me to my feet.

Kurama looks at us and says, "Nice control, Shura. Kayden, next thing we need to work on is integrating your metal into your fight. You were taken completely off guard."

Without waiting for a reply he says, "Fight again. Keep repeating until one of you is completely at the mercy of the other." He turns and walks off to fight with Yusuke and Hiei, just as there's a huge explosion from the same direction. "Damn it," he curses. Did he just lose a bit of his self-control? "Those two have no restraint."

* * *

Reviews...

animegrlsteph: better than a steak knife... or a paring knife... or a butcher knife... or a sword... or brains... or an axe...

FireStorm1991: Me=making the training up as I go along because all I know about it is that it's super intense and they like to complain about it. But it's fun to write. ;)

Aristania: AGREED!


	11. Chapter 11

Kiyoshi: Do you really need to listen to this song again? I'm sick of it.

FCL64: It's 'bad boy' or 'one day you will.' Take your pick.

Kiyoshi: *glares* I'm sick of them both.

FCL64: Your choice. Not that I'll listen to you anyway, but I try to make it look like it's a democracy.

Kiyoshi: No you don't.

FCL64: Okay, I don't. Here's the new chapter, in which Kayden is still the only character we own. The numbers… I'm just making this up as I go along…

* * *

_Months go by… Training continues… Everyone grows stronger…_

Damn it! I jump up and block the plants with heavy metal bars that seem to materialize out of nowhere. I'm getting better at that. Good thing, too. I get the feeling that one of these days, he's going to attack for real.

"Excellent, Kayden," comes his voice from the other side of the room. "You can go back to sleep."

I lay down and hear Yusuke mutter, "Do you really have to attack him in the middle of the night? It wakes the rest of us up too."

"Yes," Kurama answers. "I do."

_The next morning…_

Kurama stands before us with that aurameter or whatever it's called. Hello, public humiliation. "Shuichi, 5,642," he says. "Yoko, 779,653." Odd. He hasn't improved much in either form. What's he playing at?

"Yusuke—1,487,842. Jin—425,317. Toya—402,001. Chu—262,771. Link—247,312. Suzuki—311,013. Hiei—792,714."

There is the typical chorus of groans and cheers. Hiei looks disdainful as always.

"Kayden, 179,256," he tells me. Oh. Better than I expected. Better than he expected too, I guess, because he says, "Nice work." He moves on. "Shura, 178,997." Shura looks disgruntled.

Kurama looks at me again. "Very nice work, Kayden. I assume you will be working to surpass Link, now?"

"Yes," I respond tersely. "Until I've surpassed my father." Success over Shura means nothing. Success over Link means nothing. Success means nothing until I have grown stronger than him.

"What is it wit' you an' your father?" Chu asks me.

"I've told you. I must kill him."

They shrug, and we head inside for lunch. As we walk, Kurama approaches me and says, "Your birthday is coming up, Kayden."

"Yes." If he knows that, he remembers far more about my mother than he's admitted thus far. It suggests he remembers exactly when—. I glare.

He rolls his eyes. "Kayden," he says. "We've established that I'm a liar. Is it really any surprise that I would also withhold information?"

"No," I hiss as we enter the kitchen. But just because I'm not surprised doesn't mean I'm less insulted.

After lunch, Kurama calls to us, "Okay, you guys know the drill. Training of your choice for the rest of the day. Yusuke, I need to talk to you."

I don't like his tone. I leave but stay where I can hear what they're saying.

"What's up Kurama?" Yusuke asks.

"What do you do when the person you're training to kill you actually begins to become important to you?" he asks. Typical. They're talking about me.

"What do you mean, Kurama?"

"I mean that when I told everyone their TPs, when Kayden's TP was higher than Shura's, I got a vindictive pleasure from it. He's improving faster than Yomi's son. But it's more than a competitive thing. I'm proud of him _for_ him too. I…" He trails off in frustration. "I like him now, Yusuke. He's difficult, he's stubborn, he's intentionally irritating. But he's still my son. And in my heart, I like him in spite of all that and because of all that. What do I do?"

"Just keep doing what you're doing, Kurama. I mean, sure he wants to kill you, but you can stop him easily right now. All we can do is hope he's had a change of heart by the time he catches up to you." Footsteps come toward me, then stop. "How much do you like Kayden, Kurama? If you had to, would you be able to hurt him to save yourself? Not necessarily kill him, but injure him to the point where he couldn't continue fighting?"

There is a long silence, then he answers, "I can't say I love him as a father should love his son. It's been more than four hundred years. The possibility of such love long since disappeared. But I do like him. I do respect him." He respects me? I never… "I care about him. I could hurt him if he was trying to hurt Shiori. But if he was trying to hurt me, I don't know."

"You need to get your emotions figured out, Kurama," Yusuke warns him. "Or you are going to get hurt, and he's going to get hurt, and Shiori's going to get hurt, and his mother is going to get hurt. Everything in that twisted little triangle you've got going on needs to be worked out. You should really just tell him the truth."

Twisted triangle? Tell me the truth? What's he talking about? I don't get an answer because Yusuke's continued walk to the door forces me to run to the weight room. Twisted triangle… what is it he's still keeping from me?

_Later…_

As I try to fall asleep, I can hear the others talking. They're discussing… damn it. Their favorite gossip topic. Kayden's father. Who could it possibly be?

Suddenly Toya asks, "It's been said before as a joke, but is it really such a stretch to think Kurama might be his father?"

There are some laughs, but then Suzuki says, "I've been thinking the same thing." Quiet settles over the group. Damn it. They're taking this idea seriously now. Yusuke and Shura swore not to tell, and Kurama's not here since he decided to spend the night at Shiori's.

"Why?" Chu asked.

"Well," Toya says, "There are some personality similarities. They both have this way of analyzing that is just… it's odd, how much they seem to see. Both are very mentally capable. And Kayden is an unbelievably calm person."

"You sure we're talking about the same person?" Jin asks.

"Yes," Toya replies. "I know Kayden acts hotheaded, but I've noticed that he only gets fired up when it's something to do with his father. Kurama gets fired up just as much over Shiori."

"So they're similar," Link says. "How does that mean Kurama's his dad?"

"Kurama's easily old enough," Suzuki says thoughtfully. "They're both fox demons."

"Still not enough for me," Jin says.

"How about this," Toya suggests. "The only thing Kayden ever claims to really dislike or even hate is his father. But he has some very negative feelings he can't seem to restrain as far as Kurama is concerned. Kurama, on the other hand, seems to care about him. Kurama's been focusing on Kayden's training more than anyone else's, complete with surprise attacks."

There is a long silence. Damn it. Then Chu says, "I could believe it. What abou' you, Yusuke?"

Loud snoring promptly fills the room. Well at least he didn't tell them anything. Someone kicks him. "Ow! Whaddya want?"

"Do you think it's possible that Kurama could be Kayden's dad?" Link asks.

I hear Yusuke shrug. "Kayden wants to kill his father. Why would Kurama train Kayden if it would just end up getting him killed?"

"Kurama is so much more powerful than Kayden, though," Suzuki says. "Kurama doesn't need to worry for a while."

"And Kurama's motives for doing things have never been entirely clear to me," Jin adds.

"That's it," Toya says. "That's it. It's the only thing that makes sense. Kurama's his father."

* * *

Well... let's see some review responses, shall we?

Lilec Hamira Amdciez: Hahaha. Yeah, pretty much. And the comment about the spoon being dull and therefore hurting more is the reference to robin hood I mentioned in the author's note. I love that movie...

FireStorm1991: Ummm... not really. Sorry. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. :)


	12. Chapter 12

Kiyoshi: Is the word sleep a foreign language to you?

FCL64: Sleep is not a language, foreign or native.

Kiyoshi: It should be. And you most definitely don't speak it.

FCL64: Whatever. We only own Kayden. Happy readings!

* * *

_The next day…_

When he drags us all out of bed and to the kitchen, he seems a bit preoccupied. What happened last night at Shiori's? Or is this due to something triangle related?

Then Jin asks, "Hey, Kurama, do you know who Kayden's father is?" Not this again.

"Yes." Before the questions can erupt, he adds, "And I'm not telling you."

"Why not?" Chu demands.

"I swore I wouldn't," he replies simply.

"What if we guess?" Link asks excitedly. "Will you tell us if we're right?"

"No." His answer is sure and definite, and I can't help but—no, Kayden. You can't think like that if you hope to kill him. You can't be grateful to him for anything.

"Kurama," Suzuki says seriously, "We know it's you. Why not just admit it?"

"What makes you think I'm his father?" Kurama asks mildly. "And wouldn't it be more appropriate to ask Kayden, considering he's in the room?"

"Don't mind me," I answer. I want to see how he answers their questions. "It's not like they've gotten anywhere with asking me in the last few months. They need a new target."

"See?" Toya suddenly says. "That's what I was talking about. He's analyzing this conversation right now. Just like you would, Kurama."

Then Suzuki tells Kurama, "We think your personality similarities are more than a coincidence. You're both foxes. You're plenty old enough to have a kid." I am not a kid. I am not a child. "Sorry, Kayden," Suzuki apologizes, somehow knowing what I'm thinking. "You know what I mean." He turns back to Kurama. "You pay more attention to his training than ours. He really—" Suzuki cuts off. He's reached the bit about my hatred. Brilliant.

So Toya steps in. "He hates his father. Is it simply a coincidence that he also detests you?"

"With this trainin' I can' say I blame 'im,' Chu mutters.

"Shut up," Toya responds. "But you seem to care about him, Kurama."

"And you knew when his birthday was," Suzuki suddenly adds another detail to their argument. "You knew without really knowing. Which suggests a… nine-month guestimate."

"Perhaps," Kurama says drily, "I have been working you guys to hard. It would appear that you are delusional."

"Not like it'll stop you from makin' us work just as hard today," Chu mutters.

"Nope. Finish eating then off to your aura building."

Everyone groans, but nothing more is said about my father.

Once I finish eating, I get up to start my training. He gets up and follows me. Fantastic. Before we've made the journey to the front door, he pulls me aside. "Kayden," he asks, "how would you feel about stopping your training, at least for a few weeks?"

What's he planning? I don't trust him. "Why?"

"I thought…" he starts, then stops. "I know I have no right to make this request, but I'm selfish. I want to speak with your mother."

"No." I'm not letting this bastard anywhere near her.

"You misunderstand me, Kayden," he says. He takes a step forward, glaring at me. That would be so intimidating if I wasn't taller than him. If he was in his other form, at my height, it would be intimidating. Hell, with his other eyes, it would be scary even if he was this height. He goes on, "I am going to see your mother whether you like it or not." I get ready to object, but he threatens, "Do I need to demonstrate why you are in no position to stop me?" I don't reply. I know I have no chance of stopping him if he's determined to go. He continues, much more quietly and calmly, "I am simply asking if you want to accompany me."

"I'm coming." If I can't stop him from seeing her, I can at least keep him from seeing her alone. Only… he gave me that option. I don't care. She'll only get hurt worse than she's already been. "It's not like they haven't figured it out anyway."

"You're going to tell them?" he asks. Does he seem surprised, or am I imagining it?

"Hide your surprise, _Father_," I answer bitterly and as mockingly as I can manage. That word tastes disgusting. Worse than his cooking. "I won't tell them anything. They still won't have any proof."

He smiles. "Very well. We'll leave tomorrow. It will take about a week to get there, will it not?"

He knows where we live. He most definitely remembers my mother. "You knew exactly who I was the moment you opened that door," I accuse. "Perhaps before. You remember my mother as clearly now as if it had all happened yesterday."

He frowns. After a moment, he sighs. "Yes, Kayden. I remember your mother. You opened that door, and I knew you were her son." Why won't he say her name? He at least made an effort before. Now it's as though he can't. Why does he look sad, all of a sudden? I… don't understand. Out of nowhere he adds, "You look like her, you know. You may have fox traits, and the shape of your face as a whole may mirror my own, but you look more like her. You have her hair, her eyes, her nose, her mouth." He shakes his head. "I need to tell everyone I'm leaving but that I expect them to continue their training as though I'm still here." He strides out of the room as though he can't get away from me fast enough. Or as though he can't get away from the conversation fast enough.

But all of that was very odd. I know for sure that he remembers my mother. But he seemed sad when thinking of it. Nostalgic almost. What he had with my mother… he's still not telling me the whole story.

I arrive outside to see he's just managed to gather everyone together. Then he says, "I am leaving tomorrow. I'll be gone for about three weeks. Suzuki, Toya, you two are in charge. I expect all of you to continue training. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir, drill sergeant, sir," Link says. Everyone snickers.

"I'm serious," Kurama answers in a disapproving tone.

"How are we supposed to eat… well if you're not here?" Toya asks.

"I'm going to put together a cookbook this afternoon. I'll label all the herbs in the garden. And I'll rope of all the plants that are toxic."

"I thought you didn't like poisons," I note.

"I don't," he answers. "Far too complicated and ineffective. But many toxic plants also have powerful medicinal properties."

Of course he has an alternative excuse. Typical. But then Jin objects, "How're we supposed to do our one on one fights, Kurama? There will be nine of us."

"There will be eight of you," Kurama corrects. "Kayden is coming with me."

"Where are you going?" Link calls out, bouncing up and down.

"That is Kayden's business and my own." He walks inside. He didn't tell them because he knew I wouldn't want them to know.

Everyone looks at me. "Where're ya goin', Kayden?" Chu asks me.

"I want to see my mother," I answer. It's easier than lying. "He wants to visit her too."

"So he knows your mother," Suzuki says. "He is your father."

"No." He's not my father. A father would have been there. A father would have taken care of his child and the mother of his child. He is not my father. He is no one's father, no matter how many half-siblings I may have.

"Yes," Suzuki argues.

"Not necessarily," Shura says, stepping in for me. "Just because Kurama knew Kayden's mother doesn't mean he's his father. How would Kayden have met Kurama otherwise?" Logical as always. I really do like this kid. It's hard not to. How'd he turn out so… friendly with a father like Yomi? With a father like mine? Ugh. I don't understand, I really don't.

There are some reluctant nods. Unfortunately, Suzuki can't let it rest. Instead he mutters, "But it does make it way more likely."

I don't think there's any argument for that.

_The next day…_

When we leave, it's still dark out. It isn't long before he creates a hole between the two realms. We step through, and he says, "We're a lot more like than you're willing to admit, Kayden."

"I know," I sigh. Wait. Did I just say that out loud? No. we're not alike. We're not—oh screw it. We're far more alike than I'm comfortable with. I frown. Why am I suddenly okay with admitting this?

We walk a ways, and I ask, "Kurama, what was your relationship with my mother? I know that there's more to it than you've admitted so far."

"What has your mother told you?" he asks, avoiding the question. He's avoiding my eyes too, merely looking out beyond the horizon.

What has Ma told me? Just that… "She said she only saw you once. She said you loved each other." But the bastard doesn't love her, doesn't care about her at all. "Why do you even want to see her?"

He ignores my question. "Were those her exact words?"

Yes. No. "She would say you were only together once. Why do you want to see her?" I repeat. "You'll just cause her more pain."

He shakes his head and continues walking. "Wait," I say. "It's this way."

"If she's really been waiting all these years, this is a shorter route."

"That is a common route for thieves and murderers," I answer.

"Kayden," he says slowly, "please remind me of my chosen profession."

I grimace. "_Your_ chosen profession. Not mine. I do not wish to be mistaken for a thief." I cannot deny that I am a murderer, nor that I intend to kill again.

He laughs. "No one need know, Kayden. The only people we will meet on this road are criminals like myself, whose opinions mean little. Whose words cannot be trusted."

"Like how I can trust yours?" I ask.

He grins. "The difference between them and me is that I'm better than all of them—at lying and stealing." There is a glint in his eyes, an excitement I haven't seen there before. "How about it, Kayden? It could be fun."

I glare. "None of it is ours to take."

He smiles mischievously and leads me onward. "As though anything worth taking was theirs in the first place."

That one is probably true. "That does not make me a thief."

He shrugs. "It's in your blood."

"It is in my blood on my father's side," I reply, "who was never there. In such things, nurture is stronger than nature. My mother did not raise me that way."

"Typical," he mutters. "She didn't teach you to fight, why should I have expected her to have taught you to steal?"

I stop. "Don't talk about my mother that way," I threaten. "She is not a thief. She wouldn't hurt a fly."

He shakes his head. "There are many things you do not know, Kayden, and as many things you would be happier not knowing."

"Try me," I challenge, catching up to him. "You can start by explaining the twisted triangle."

He doesn't seem at all surprised that I know of this. "No." His answer is final.

"Why not?" I demand.

"Because of questions like that," he answers coldly. "Compared to me, compared to your mother, compared to—us, you are still a child. You would not understand the reasons behind the actions."

Compared with who? He definitely changed it to _us_ at the last second. Who's the third person in this triangle? I thought it was me, but now it's obvious that I was wrong. There is someone else involved.

* * *

Well, that's that chapter. Reviews?

kishe: thanks for the review. :)

FireStorm1991: In my opinion, how unconventional their relationship is gets even better. And it makes me laugh.

Aristania: Thank you. That's good to hear, especially considering it was never supposed to have been written *glares at Kiyoshi*

animegrlsteph: sort of.


	13. Chapter 13

Kiyoshi: So we've established that you don't know what sleep is.

FCL64: It's only seven. I don't need to be asleep. What's your point?

Kiyoshi: Just that neither do you know the definition of homework, or paying attention in class.

FCL64: And? I'm passing all my classes. What's the big deal?

Kiyoshi: When was the last time you actually did homework at home?

FCL64: We only own Kayden. Have fun!

Kiyoshi: And she ignores the question… Anyway, there are some things… suggested in this chapter, that Kurama (not Kayden… how odd) implies are acceptable. So… how do I put this?

FCL64: Don't be a whore just because Kurama made stupid decisions when he was younger.

Kiyoshi: Wow. Way to be blunt.

FCL64: Uh-huh. That's my job.

Kiyoshi: I almost don't want you to post this chapter. I think it's a bit… awkward at points. It makes me nervous.

FCL64: Just shut up. We're posting it whether you like it or not.

Kiyoshi: But it's embarrassing.

FCL64: Then why'd you write it?

* * *

We walk a short distance down the road and soon see many other demons. His eyes glint. While they remain green, there is something inhuman in his gaze. And these demons keep looking at us. They're looking for anything that might be worth taking.

"Hide your unease, Kayden," he says, not bothering to keep his voice down. "You are more powerful than most of them."

"Most of them," I state. "Why do they all wear black?" It's unnerving, how they all match.

"I _am_ more powerful than any of them," he answers confidently. "They wear black because it helps you blend in at night. Just common sense. If you can't be seen, you can't be caught."

Common sense? But what he wears in his true form is cream. Off-white. Nowhere near black. "You don't wear black," I point out.

He grins. "It's no fun if there isn't a chance of getting caught. I was one of the best."

"What if one of them is one of the best as well?" I ask.

"There were only two others on my level," he answers, the sadness returning. "One of them is dead, the other is retired."

"You were retired," I am compelled to reply.

"Not by choice," he responds, almost resentfully. "And whether she's retired or not, we're not at risk of being attacked." She?

We walk in silence for a while. Then he says, "This place brings back good memories."

"Good memories on a path frequented by thieves and murderers?" I ask skeptically.

"I have no doubt," he answers, "that you know others who would say the same, if they were being honest." What is he talking about? "At any rate, you need not worry. We have nothing worth taking. Yet."

"Yet?" I ask.

"Sometimes," he replies, "when things are so obvious and so easily taken, I have trouble… restraining myself."

"Would that not hurt your mother?" I ask. Wait. Shiori is not his mother. Shiori is the woman he is using.

"Here," he answers, "Shuichi Minamino does not exist."

"You will get us both killed."

"I told you," he answers, "I'm stronger than all of them."

_Three days later…_

"There," he suddenly says.

"Where?" I ask.

"There is a man about twenty yards ahead. There is a pouch attached to his pack."

"What about it?" I ask. I don't have a good feeling about this.

"I guarantee that's where he's keeping whatever it is he's stolen. It's plain in order to disguise its contents. But he's overcompensating, making it even more unassuming than the rest of his things, which consequently makes it stand out. An amateur mistake." He smiles. "I think I need to teach him a lesson. Possession is, after all, nine tenths of the law."

"Ten tenths on this road," I mutter. "Do you have to take it?"

"Yes," he replies. "For old time's sake, to satisfy this urge I have to steal. This road is bringing out desires I have not felt in a long time."

"Desires?" I echo. "You're a freaking kleptomaniac."

"No," he laughs. "I've been watching him for the last three hours in order to decide the best method of taking it." That would explain why he kept speeding up and slowing down. He was following the guy. "And if I were impulsive about such things, I would not be so good at it."

"This is not a good idea." I have a sick feeling there is no way I can talk him out of this. It's like he's on an adrenaline high and just wants to amp it up farther.

"Of course it's not," he replies. "Stealing is very rarely a good idea, which is what makes it… entertaining."

I just won't answer. If I stop reacting, maybe he'll give up on the idea. It's entirely possible he's just saying all this to piss me off. But what has brought about this change in his personality? He's happy now. More so than when he was joking with his friends. More at ease than when we were speaking with Yomi. He's comfortable here. It's like this is his home.

He sighs in disappointment. "Fine," he says. "Let's make a bet."

Huh? "What are you suggesting?"

"If I can get that pouch away from him without him noticing, you steal something with me the next time. If there is a next time. I'm not sure I'll get this urge for petty thievery again before we get to your mother's." I stare at him. He shrugs. "I always worked better with a partner."

He won't get away with that in broad daylight. "And if he does notice?"

"I will answer your questions." He's good. He knows exactly how to manipulate me.

"Fine. But you won't be able to do it in broad daylight without getting caught."

"I never said anything about doing it during the day." He grins. Damn him. "But I will do it now, if you want me to. It makes no real difference to me."

"Do it," I answer. "Now. If you were planning on doing it in the dark, you won't be able to do it now." I'm not entirely sure about that.

"You forget," he says, "that you are speaking to the man who stole three treasures from an Underworld vault."

"You were caught."

"Only because I turned myself in." He vanishes off the side of the path, leaving me to walk alone. Two women passing in the other direction eye me. Something about their stare isn't like the others. It doesn't seem suspicious of my presence, nor does it seem to be searching for valuables.

A moment later, bright red hair catches my eye. He walks straight across the pass, pausing for a moment behind the other demon. Then he continues walking. The other demon doesn't even pause. No way. There is no way. I look closer. It's gone. Unbelievable.

He circles back around and drops the pouch in my hand. I open it. It's filled with jewelry. Suddenly he snickers.

"What?" I ask.

"Don't look now, Kayden," he laughs, "but we have some followers. More specifically, _you_ have some followers, since they were picked up when I was… busy."

I glance behind me. The two girls I passed earlier are following at a distance. They smile, and one of them giggles when I look back. I promptly face forward.

"You are red, Kayden," he says, swiftly snatching his prize back from my hands. "Don't tell me you're embarrassed."

"No, I'm not," I answer. "I just think it likely that, considering the location, they are probably prostitutes."

He lets out a loud laugh. "On the contrary," he says as he begins sifting through the contents of the bag, "prostitutes are rare on this road. Women prefer to seduce men and take all they've stolen. And those women started following you when it was obvious you had nothing."

Is he trying to be irritating? Yes. "Make your point."

"Why are you turning away beautiful women, Kayden?" he asks, carefully examining a bejeweled bracelet. "You are handsome. It's not as though they will turn you down. I never had any trouble with women, although that was probably also influenced by fame. But your mother was always a very beautiful woman. You have very good traits, Kayden, as far as physical appearances go."

"Was beautiful?" I ask. She is still beautiful. Always, though. He said always. He saw her more than once. "And telling your son he's handsome is kind of creepy." No. I just admitted I'm his son. What is happening to me?

"I have not seen her in more than four hundred years, Kayden. People change." Fair point. "And you have not answered my question, Kayden. Why do you turn your back on beautiful women who are obviously interested in you?"

I ignore him. I really… they are beautiful, but now is neither the time nor the place. I begin walking faster.

He looks up from the necklace he's examining. He walks quickly to catch up to me. "Do not tell me," he says then repeats, "Do _not_ tell me that in more than four hundred years you have never been with a woman."

What? No. Is he suggesting—ugh. "Do we have to talk about this?" I ask.

Mockingly he says, "As a human I learned that sex education is an important part of a parent's job."

"Like you've been a great parent up till now," I mutter.

He laughs. "No," he agrees. "Now, care to tell me why you avoid women, Kayden?"

"I will answer your questions if you answer mine." He won't agree, and I'll be able to get out of this.

"I will answer your questions when we are with your mother. This situation… I will need her help." Crap. He agreed.

"I don't _avoid_ women," I answer. "I just prefer to avoid one night stands, unlike some people whose names won't be mentioned."

He looks up at me from the ring he's inspecting. "So there's one girl as opposed to many." I don't answer. "Come on, Kayden. It's nothing to be ashamed of. To be faithful to one woman is an admirable thing I could never quite accomplish." He thinks a moment then says, "Scratch that. I never tried."

"There isn't exactly one girl," I answer reluctantly. Maybe if I answer his questions in as little detail as possible he'll leave me alone. "It's more… there are several, and I keep going back to them, and they keep coming back to me. But there is no real, committed relationship. They see other guys. It's all very…" I can't say that.

"Casual." Apparently he can.

"Yes," I admit. I won't say it aloud, especially not to him, but I am ashamed of it. My mother raised me to devote myself to one person. I can't do that even when the person hasn't left.

"I'm glad you don't like that idea, Kayden," he says.

"What?" He knew I was embarrassed.

"This one," he murmurs to himself, holding an emerald necklace up to the light. He slips it into his pocket and replies, "I'm glad you understand that sex isn't something to be taken lightly. It took me more than a thousand years to figure that one out. Such decisions have consequences."

"Like getting someone pregnant," I hiss.

"Yes," he says. "That being the primary, long-term consequence."

He shoves the bag of jewelry back into my hands. "Take what you like."

I hand the jewelry back to him. "I am not a thief."

"So I've been told. Wait here."

I stop on the path, and he turns and walks back the way we came. Oh, no. Oh no no no. I follow him in time to hear him say, "Courtesy of Kayden. He thought you might like them."

He smiles at the two girls. One of them, the shorter one with teal hair says, "So his name's Kayden."

The other one is obviously attracted to his green eyes and red hair. "Who says it's Kayden I'm after?"

I walk up and mutter, "Not a wise idea. Stay away from him, or you'll just get hurt."

He shrugs. "True in the past. Now… I'm not sure I could get close to anyone else. I'm too emotionally invested as it is, Kayden."

I roll my eyes. "And you're full of it."

"Perhaps."

"What's your name?" the girl with blue eyes and white hair asks. She steps closer to him and puts a hand on his chest. She didn't listen to a word we said.

He pulls her hand off his shirt and steps back. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

The other one is looking at me. "How do you two know each other?" she asks.

"Let's not talk about it," I mutter.

"That is another thing you wouldn't believe if we told you," he answers. Yeah… he looks younger as a human. By a lot. I easily look older than him by human and demon standards.

"Try me," the girl who is after him replies. "On both counts." She steps toward him again.

He shakes his head. "How old are you?"

"Plenty old enough for you," she answers.

"I don't sleep with children," he answers. "Which you obviously are. Kayden, let's go. We have business."

"Wait," the other one says. "There seems to be… why are you turning us down like this?"

"I'm not a child," the one with white hair says, a disgruntled look on her face. "I'm almost two hundred."

"A child," he repeats. "And you would do best to stay off this trail. Many of us would be all too willing to use you. You are pretty, both of you. But in the last few years I've developed morals." Why is there disapproval in his voice?

"We're not children," the teal-haired girl says. "We've been around two centuries."

"And I've been around nearly four and a half," I interrupt, "And he still treats me like a child. I'd take his advice. Go to a less dangerous place and try to pick up guys there."

The other girl is getting quite worked up. "Emma," the one with teal hair says, "Calm down…"

"He… he didn't even give me a chance," Emma spits.

"Still think this little joke on me was a good idea?" I ask. This is a waste of our time, and someone will end up getting hurt.

He rolls his eyes. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

* * *

Well... that's that, I suppose. On to reviews.

FireStorm1991: Who do you think it is? I'd really like to know.

Lilec Hamira Amdciez: We'll just have to see, won't we?


	14. Chapter 14

Kiyoshi: You promised me you'd go to sleep.

KG64 (FCL64): I lied.

Kiyoshi: I hate you.

KG64: So I've heard. We own Kayden and Emma and Alexis, although the latter two won't be important after this chapter.

Kiyoshi: They seem like they'll be important.

KG64: So I got distracted on the storyline because Kayden and Kurama talking and walking through a forest for a week is incredibly boring.

Kiyoshi: *shakes head*

KG64: You also may have noticed that my user name has been changed to _Kiyoshi'sGirl64_. I decided that, since he's taken over my life and since he's the one writing the stories, he deserves a little recognition in my user name.

Kiyoshi: I really have nothing to say to that.

* * *

Emma begins flinging aura in every direction. I instinctively duck to avoid it. "Emma!" her friend calls out. "Stop! They didn't mean anything by it! Did you really expect to pick up any guys worth keeping in this godforsaken forest? You just have a weird obsession with bad boys."

"Stay out of this, Alexis!" She sends a large amount of aura at Kurama.

He doesn't blink. He sidesteps it. "Is that really all you have?" he asks.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" she shouts. "You lead me on, you turn me down, and now you mock me?"

"I did not lead you on," he answers. "I was trying to lead you to believe _Kayden _liked you. A bad decision, I see now. I turned you down because I wasn't leading you on. And I am not mocking you. I'm just used to fighting far more powerful opponents."

"Who do you think you are?" she snaps again. "Your aura isn't even very strong."

He suddenly vanishes, moving so quickly none of us can follow his movements. Then he's behind her in his true form, whispering in her ear, "I am a thousand years your senior. I do not sleep with children. I keep an ace up my sleeve. And I have been traveling this road up and down most likely since before your parents were born. Possibly your grandparents."

I'm not sure if it's his words or the sudden aura explosion, but she suddenly freezes. He walks back around them. And gestures to me that we should continue walking. To the two of them he says, "Be careful on this path. Things are rarely what they seem out here, and it is all far more dangerous than you would think. I am not the only one with a deceptive nature. You could walk into your deaths. And what for? Because you wanted to sleep with a bad boy? Don't waste your lives for that." Then the human form is back, and the aura is gone. "Stick to the boys who only pretend to be bad. Out here, they really are. Some of us will kill you without a second thought." It unnerves me that he still counts himself in that collective.

He turns and leaves them staring after him. I follow him. He says to me, "Perhaps we should keep to ourselves for the rest of the journey."

"That's what I wanted from the beginning," I remind him.

He smiles. "Yes. Which suggests that I am getting too caught up in all this. I did occasionally get carried away. Mostly when raids and robberies were too easy. I had a tendency to show off."

"Let's keep that to a minimum, shall we?" I ask.

"Very well. We will keep to ourselves until we get to your house."

_Four days later…_

We finally stand outside the house I grew up in. It's small but comfortable. He strides confidently toward the front gate. I grab his arm. "Let me talk to her first," I say. He raises his eyebrows, intentionally showing me his curiosity. Be humble, Kayden. But it's so _hard_ to show humility to this bastard. "Please," I force past my lips. The word tastes bad in my mouth.

He blinks. Then he says, "I appreciate how difficult it was for you to say that, Kayden. In light of that, I will respect your request."

I already said please. I think I'll puke if I try to thank him.

I pull out my key and unlock the door. I leave him waiting outside, his currently weak aura tugging at the corner of my mind. I don't trust him. "Ma," I call. "Where are you?"

"Kayden!" I hear a shout and a clatter from the kitchen. She meets me with a hug in the hall. Then she grabs hold of my arms and holds me back. "You're stronger, Kayden. What have you been doing the last year?"

"Training," I answer. "Or torture depending on how you look at it. My aura's stronger now too, Ma."

She nods and starts scolding me. "How long has it been since you cut your hair, Kayden? It looks horrible."

"It's just long," I answer, suddenly aware that it's past my shoulders. It's been more than a year since I cut my hair. Hm. I'll need to fix that. He likes his hair long.

"I don't care if it's long," she replies, brushing her short dark hair out of her eyes. "But not cutting it is giving you split ends, which makes it look bad. If you take care of yourself, you really are a handsome boy, Kayden."

"So I've been told," I mutter. Why does it not bother me when she tells me that? Or when she calls me a boy? Is it because she's always been here, she watched me grow up, and he didn't?

"By who?" she questions curiously.

I sigh. This is… I don't want to tell her. She'll just get hurt. "My father," I answer. "I found him, talked to him." Trained with him.

"You did what?" she asks.

"Kurama," I repeat, "I found him. He's outside. He wants to talk to you."

"That's who's outside? Damn it," she curses. Did Ma just curse? In more than four hundred years I have never heard her use any vulgar—she knew someone was outside? But I know he's there, and I can barely feel his presence. She always said I had a strong sixth sense. She always said—she never once said anything about her own.

She walks by me quickly, slamming the door open. I hurry after her. Why is she upset? She always wanted him to come back, but now that he's here, she's _pissed_. She's angrier than I have ever seen her.

She sees his human form, walks across the yard and slaps him. The sound is loud, too. That had to have hurt like hell. Good. He deserves that pain. He deserves to feel it at the hands of my mother after all the pain he's caused her. "You _bastard_," she shrieks. "You lying, thieving, goddamn _bastard_." Whoa. She's even angrier than I thought.

"Krista," he says. "I can explain."

"What the hell is there to explain, Kurama?" she demands loudly. There is a shaking, and suddenly an aura erupts that most definitely isn't mine and isn't Kurama's. Several metal nails from our fence fly through the air towards his head.

Is _Ma_ doing that? What's going on? "You _left_," she accuses. "You left, and it took our son showing up to bring you back. Is that how little I meant to you? After all those years, you could just leave and never come back?"

"Years?" I ask. "You knew each other for years?"

"Shut up, Kayden," he commands, taking on his true form and dodging the sharp pieces of metal that have changed direction in midair. Is _Ma_ doing that? "It hurt too much to see you, Krista," he yells in anger.

"Like it didn't hurt for me to see you," she snaps back. "But you didn't have to look into the face of the mistakes you made because of that pain _every single day_."

Suddenly some sort of ore breaks through the ground and knocks him to his feet. No one other than Hiei and Yusuke could ever get the best of him like this during training. How can Ma be doing it? Is he letting her do this? It doesn't look like it. He looks totally taken off-guard. "Are you doing that, Ma?" I ask loudly. What the hell is going on?

"Shut up, Kayden," she answers. "This has nothing to do with you."

A vine lashes out, grabs her ankle and pulls her feet out from beneath her. She falls heavily to the ground. "On the contrary," he snaps at her. "It's all about Kayden." How is it that she's got him this angry? What's happening? I've spent eight months trying to piss him off, and it hasn't worked once. She sees him once, and they're both angry as hell in less than a minute. He picks himself up off the ground and asks, "Isn't that what you just said, Krista? That you had to look into the face of your pain every day and I didn't? Well, if I had known about Kayden I would have come back. I would have been there. I'd think that after all these years you'd at least have that figured out about me."

"That's what I thought you'd do," she shouts. "But you didn't come back, did you?"

"I didn't realize I had a _reason_ to come back," he says. "Until that boy showed up at my door, I—"

"I'm not a boy," I object out of habit.

"Shut up, Kayden," my mother says again. How many times are they going to tell me that, damn it?

"I'm not a child," I answer.

"In this situation, in this conversation, you most definitely are a child," Kurama answers. Then he continues his argument with Ma. Thankfully they've stopped throwing aura at each other. But they're still angry. I don't think murder is off the table quite yet. "Until Kayden appeared at my door, I didn't know I had a son. I didn't know anything had come from that mistake. How could I have been expected to come back if I didn't know? You never told me." I spent many years hoping he would come back. Now I wonder… if parents fight like this all the time, perhaps having them together isn't such a good idea.

"How was I supposed to find you, Kurama?" she demands. "Trek all over the demon plane after a nearly invisible thief while I was pregnant? With a newborn, an infant, a toddler?"

He frowns. "I… Krista, I'm sorry." Did he just apologize? I…

"What the hell is going on?" I demand.

Neither of them tells me to shut up. They just ignore me this time. Brilliant. He says, "I didn't think about long-term consequences. Neither of us did."

"So now you're pinning this on _me_?" she demands.

"No," he answers, slipping back into his human form. He has no chance of beating her like that. It's a gesture of peace. "I'm pinning it on both of us. We were both there. We both made the same stupid mistake. Just… I didn't have to live with it. I didn't have to raise him wishing his father was someone else. I'm sorry, Krista," he finally repeats. Wishing his father was someone else? What is going on? "I would have come back, I would have acted like a real father if I had known. But I never came back to talk to you because I thought our hearts would be happier if it all just disappeared. But as a result, I caused you a lot of pain. I'm sorry, Krista, I truly am."

She shakes her head. "I know you are." What? Wait, why does she look ready to cry? "Why'd you have to come back, Kurama?"

"I told you," he says. "I came back when I knew the truth."

Ma suddenly starts crying and runs forward to hug him. He embraces her as she cries into his shoulder. "I love you, Kurama. That was never a lie, you know."

"I know," he says. "I know. And I love you. And you loved him. And he loved you." Wait. Who's _he_? This is all past tense. The third person…? Perhaps listening would be best. He continues, "And he was my best friend."

"What are you getting at, Kurama?" she whispers so quietly I barely hear her. Why did I let this bastard come to see her when I knew she would just get hurt?

"I'm saying that… the real reason I came is because I want to know why you've been lying all these years." What is he talking about? Ma, lying? "I think Kayden has a right to know the truth."

* * *

Yay! We have arrived at reviews!

animegrlsteph: In my opinion... their relationship only gets _more_ interesting from here on out.

dreamofstarysky: thanks. I never thought I'd like this story either. *glares at Kiyoshi* But I find Kayden to be a very likeable (sp?) person. In spite of the fact that he wants to kill Kurama.

FireStorm1991: You just made my day! :D Someone else wanted it to be Hiei. But it's not. :) It always makes me happy when someone figures out the answer to something like that beforehand.


	15. Chapter 15

Kiyoshi: May I bang my head against a brick wall now?

KG64: That won't make me go to sleep any quicker.

Kiyoshi: Why not?

KG64: Sleeping at night is overrated. And it's not even midnight yet.

KG64: You know what? I don't even care anymore. I really don't.

FCL64: Kiyoshi! Don't leave! Come back! We only own Kayden. Kiyoshi!

* * *

The truth? "What do you mean I deserve the truth?" I ask.

"I've never lied to him," Ma tells him, taking a step back.

"I noticed," Kurama mutters wryly. "What was it? 'We were only together once?' 'I love him?' Never that you only saw me once, or that you were _in _love with me. It's all rather cruel, Krista."

"By the time he was old enough to ask questions I had realized you weren't planning on coming back," she retaliates, walking in circles, gesturing violently with her hands. "I thought that telling him the events that way would be less painful than the true story."

"Less painful for who?" Kurama asks quietly. "For you or for him? Because now I fear… I fear we are going to hurt him a lot, Krista."

"Because you came back," she answers. "You didn't have to come back."

"I did," he argues. "He needs to know the truth."

"What truth?" I ask.

Ma looks at me. How can so much sadness be contained in one face? In Ma's face? I don't understand. "I was never in love with your father. I was in love with another man, a man named Kuronue."

"Then why did you…?" I can't say it. I may be like that. And Kurama is definitely like that. But Ma doesn't sleep around.

"Sleep with him?" she asks. I nod. She shakes her head. "It was stupid, that I don't deny. But when you are… Kurama, how am I supposed to tell him what really happened?"

He looks up at the clear sky then says, "We slept together because we were quite literally out of our minds with grief. Kuronue was my best friend. He was the one your mother loved, he was the one who loved your mother, Kayden."

"He's the third one in the twisted triangle," I whisper. "He's the one on your level who is dead." But he said there were two others on his level. If this Kuronue was one of them, his best friend… he said the other was a female who was retired. And that even if she wasn't retired, we wouldn't be at risk from being attacked by her. That suggests they were friends. But… no. "No," I whisper. "No."

Ma glares at him. Then nods. "Yes, Kayden. I met your father and Kuronue when they were on a raid. I was after the same piece. But those morons got it because there were two of them. Then one thing led to another, and we were friends. Then I fell in love. Then Kuronue died. I was… devastated. Kurama was too, no less than myself."

She breaks off. So he says, "Your mother was the only one who could understand the depth of my pain. I was the only one who could understand hers. We were also the only ones who knew of his death. We sought comfort in each other's arms." He shakes his head in complete and obvious regret. "And then I left and didn't come back." He looks at Ma. "Because it hurt too much to see you. Even more so after. I felt as though I had betrayed him. He may have died, but you were still my best friend's girl."

She nods. "I feel the same. And in Kayden's face I've been reminded of that betrayal every day."

I look at Ma. "Why didn't you tell me?" I ask.

Suddenly she looks angry again. "You know the truth now. I'm a liar," she says, not answering the question.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I ask again. I don't really even want to know. None of this could possibly be true. It can't be true. Ma can't control metal. Ma doesn't have a sixth sense or a strong aura. Ma wasn't a thief. Ma doesn't curse. Ma doesn't lie. There is no one such as Kuronue. Ma loves Kurama. Kurama doesn't love Ma. He abandoned us. That's the truth. This is all a lie. All of it.

But Ma demands, "What did you want me to tell you, Kayden? Did you want me to tell you that your mother is a liar and a thief? Did you want me to tell you that the man who would have been the father of my children was a liar and a thief? That he died, so I made an irrational decision to sleep with his best friend, _also_ a liar and a thief? That that's where you came from? Did you want me to tell you that stealing is something all three of us were naturally good at? Did you want me to tell you that being a thief was in your blood? I didn't want to raise you that way, since it's what got Kuronue killed. I thought that thinking your father was just an infamous thief who seduces and uses women would hurt less than knowing the truth. Or at least it would protect you. I couldn't bear to have you think you had to be a thief because of blood. I didn't think this day would ever come, and I'm sorry it had to, Kayden, I really am. In all honesty, being born into this family, it's a miracle you turned out to be a decent person."

I back slowly away from her. My entire life has been a lie. One long lie, spun by the person I trusted most. The person I loved the most. And now I find out that the person I've hated for so many years really isn't the son of a bitch I thought he was. "No," I say. "No. It's not true." I continue backing away. I turn and jump over the fence and begin running.

"Kayden!" she shouts after me. "Kayden, come back!"

I can't go back there. I can't. Lies, all of it. Lies. Lies. "Let him go, Krista," I hear Kurama say. "We can go after him later, after he's had a bit of time to calm down." Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies.

As I get farther away, the sound of their voices begins to fade. "But what if we can't find him?" she cries. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies.

"He'll come back when he's ready." His voice is resigned. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies.

Lies.

My entire life. One long string of lies. My mother isn't who I thought she was. My father isn't who I thought he was. Their relationship is nothing like what I thought it was. There's a third person I didn't know ever existed. And then there's me. The result of a string of events involving all three of them in what Yusuke accurately described as a twisted triangle. That's all I am. An unfortunate result of stupid mistakes.

That's all I am.

A betrayal, an unfortunate result and a pile of lies.

* * *

Okay then... reviews...

animegrlsteph: did i answer any questions?

Lilec Hamira Amdciez: Kinky? Screwed up, yes. Depressing, certainly. But I wouldn't call it kinky. I hope this chapter shed a bit of light on the situation.

FireStorm1991: I like your thought process. Of course, before the tournament, Kurama hadn't seen Yomi for a thousand years. Kayden is only 430(ish). That was another clue that it was Kuronue, since (as far as I've been able to find) they never tell us _when_ Kurama knew Kuronue. And, no, Kayden is not Kuronue's son. Krista and Kurama are just idiots (and isn't the family alliteration they have going fantastic? Kurama, Kuronue, Krista and Kayden. And I didn't know Kuronue was going to be involved when I chose their names, either.)


	16. Chapter 16

Kiyoshi: Do you really intend to do an entire outline and read most or all of Dracula tomorrow?

KG64: Well… I've read Dracula before, so whatever. As for the outline… screw biology.

Kiyoshi: Wow. We only own Kayden.

* * *

I run until there isn't anywhere to run. I sit at the entrance to a cave. It's been forever since I was upset enough to come here. I think… I don't even remember what I was upset about.

But my entire life… just… I would have expected him to lie like that. But Ma… Ma always took care of me. Ma never lies. Ma doesn't… Ma. Why would she…

I put my head in my hands. Don't Kayden. Don't cry. Be strong. Hide your emotions. You can't let anyone see your emotions. It's weak. That's what he taught you. It's weak. People will use it against you. He'll use it against you. Ma could… how is it possible to feel so betrayed? Ma… I can't stop myself. Damn it, Kayden. Don't cry. Don't.

_Several hours later…_

He walks up to me. Ignore him. I have nothing to say to him. He… I can't forgive him for what he did. He left Ma. And Ma… "Damn it," I say.

He sits down next to me and doesn't say anything. We sit for a long time. It's dark out by now. Why won't he say anything? Can't I just get the lecture over with? I want him out of my life. He just… it's all his fault. "How'd you find me?" I ask.

"I know all the best hiding places within a fifty mile radius of your house, Kayden," he replies. His voice is quiet. Calming. The only person who has ever used that tone with me is Ma. Ma… lies, all of it.

"Damn it," I repeat. "Lies. My entire life. One big long lie."

"Kayden," he says, "She never lied. She may have made you think things that weren't true, but never think she didn't love you. Your mother loves you more than anything in the world." His voice is firm, filled with a conviction I've rarely felt myself.

"But why would she lie?" I ask. Why is it that I feel so much angrier at Ma than at him? They both lied to me. He lied more than she did. But… it hurts more to find out that Ma was lying.

He sighs and sits back. "She was a wonderful thief, Kayden. She enjoyed stealing as much as I did. But she gave all that up. She gave up her control of her aura. She gave up everything so that you wouldn't grow up in that world of thieves and murderers. She had experienced firsthand the pain of losing someone to that profession. She didn't want you to lose her. Even worse, she didn't want to lose you because of it. Whatever she told you that now seems untrue, whatever lies I've told you, please, Kayden. Never doubt that she loves you."

"How can I ever trust her again?" I ask. "How can I ever not wonder if what she's telling me is actually the truth? She's not the person I thought she was. You're not the person I believed you to be. I don't know what to think anymore. She's not as perfect as I always believed she was, you're not as bad as I always thought you were. I don't understand anything anymore."

He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees, mirroring my own stance. "Kayden, I have never been in your position. I cannot pretend to know how you feel. I can however tell you this. Your mother is a good person. She gave up everything for you. I promise you that she loves you. This betrayal would not hurt so bad if you did not love her." So he admits that it's a betrayal. "No matter what, remember that. You love her, and she loves you. In the years I've spent with Shiori, that's the one thing I've learned. Caring about others is far more important than power. But those you care about most are also those who can hurt you the most." He sighs and stands. "That's all I have, Kayden. You may never be able to truly trust her again, and I know you've never trusted me. But try to love her anyway because she loves you more than anything. She would give her life for you. And for what it's worth, I care about you as well." He walks away, leaving me alone.

Perhaps… he's right. I love Ma, and… at some point during the training, I stopped hating him. He's still my father. He's irritating as hell, but he has said the same of me. Perhaps trust is something that is easily broken and hard to repair, but at the same time it's very important. I need to try. "Dad," I call. He doesn't pause. Is he ignoring me? Wait, did I just call him _Dad_? That's it. I've lost my mind. And that's why he didn't respond. It's not a name he has ever needed to respond to. "Kurama," I shout. He turns around. I don't say anything, so he walks back.

"Did you want something?" he asks. Now I know what that was in his voice earlier. The tone that only Ma had ever used with me. He does care about me. Even though he always said he didn't to my face, when I heard him talking to Yusuke, he was never lying.

"Thank you," I say. "I don't know if I can… but I understand what you said." Kayden, why'd you call him back? You're not ready. I'm not emotionally stable right now. I might… no. He said to never show emotion. I can't. He will think I'm weak.

He sits back down next to me and says softly, "Kayden, what I've said before, about not showing emotion… Sometimes you can disregard that. I cried when I lost my best friend. I have a tendency to lose control of my anger when around those I'm close to. No one is strong enough to hold all emotions in all the time. If you could hide the hurt you feel right now, I would worry that you were mentally unstable. What you're feeling is entirely understandable. It is okay to cry."

"But you said…" Don't cry, Kayden. This has nothing to do with what he said. Just… crying is weak.

"And how many times have you established that I'm a liar, Kayden?" he asks. True. "I lied about this as well. While it's good to be strong and good to be capable of disguising emotions, you need not fear showing emotions to those who care about you."

Suddenly the tears fall, and I can do nothing to stop them. Why wasn't he ever there? If he had been there, none of this would have happened. Maybe they would have lied to me, but I wouldn't have needed to know. "All I wanted for so many years was a father." I hear the words come from my mouth without consciously deciding to speak them. "But you were never there. Ma was the only one who was ever there. I never had a father. Children need two parents. I… never had that."

"And I regret that, Kayden," he says quietly. "Children may not have been in the plan I had for my life, but I would have been there. I'm not as heartless as everyone seems to believe. I'm sorry, Kayden. I admit that I have not been a good father. I admit that it's more than a little late for me to try. But I'm going to try anyway." He suddenly puts his arm around my shoulder.

Why doesn't this feel like it's wrong? Instead I feel… I feel like a child again. They all keep calling me a child, a boy. But until now it hasn't felt that way. But neither does it feel wrong.

In fact, something about it feels right. I'm no longer a grown man. I'm just an upset little boy whose father is comforting him. Instinctively, I turn toward him and rest my head on his shoulder. A young boy and his father. This should have been happening more than four hundred years ago. He stiffens in surprise. Then, sounding awkward and unsure, he says, "Kayden, it's okay. It's all going to be alright." I want to believe him. More than anything, I want to believe him.

I feel like I should be ashamed of that. But I'm not. Why am I not upset that I'm breaking down like this in front of him? But… instead of being upset about it, I feel calm. Everything is going to be alright. I trust him. He's my father. He cares about me.

Maybe I feel at peace because maybe I didn't truly want him dead.

Maybe having a father be here for me was all I ever really wanted.

* * *

Well... now for the downhill run...

Lilec Hamira Amdciez: It's all good. I say stuff like that when I'm low on sleep too (example A of why I shouldn't be allowed to have a computer in my room... I'll write random crap and post it before I have a chance to see how bad of an idea it is...)

animegrlsteph: still feel sorry for him?

FireStorm1991: I'm going to tell you a secret: I think I typed 'lies' about eight times, and then I copied and pasted. But that's okay. It looks good. As for why Krista did what she did... it's because she loves Kayden. And the why will be elaborated on in later chapters. thanks for the review, as always. :)


	17. Chapter 17

Kiyoshi: One word: Dracula.

KG64: Ummm… no.

Kiyoshi: Fine. Fail English. Fail school. I don't care.

KG64: You evidently care more than I do.

Kiyoshi: Shut up and type, if you must. We only own Kayden.

* * *

Damn it, Kayden. Why'd you have to cry? I sit up. "How long have we been out here?" I ask him.

He scoots away from me, giving me some space. "You've been out here for nearly twelve hours, Kayden. I came to find you after about nine."

Do I even want to know? "And Ma?"

"She's really worried about you, Kayden."

I stand up. "Okay. But what am I supposed to say to her?"

"You don't need to say anything. All she wants to know is that you're safe, Kayden," he assures me, standing as well. "She wants to know that you didn't do something stupid out of anger."

As we walk back to my house, I try to think of what to say to Ma. But… "Why am I not angry at you guys anymore?" I ask.

"What?" he asks, looking up at me.

"I'm not angry anymore," I answer. "Why am I not angry?"

"I don't know, Kayden," he answers. "You have every reason to be angry."

"But I'm not," I answer, watching my feet. "I feel relieved. I feel more calm than I have in centuries."

"How… odd," he murmurs. After several minutes, he says, "Unless… do not be angry with me for suggesting this, Kayden, but perhaps you aren't angry because you never really wanted to kill me in the first place."

I was thinking the same thing. But how could what I'm consciously thinking be so different from what I actually want? "How could what I want be so different from what I thought I wanted?"

"Kayden," he replies carefully, "All I know is that you never really wanted to kill me. I still don't know what it was you really wanted."

"I wanted…" Why can't I say those words out loud? I don't hate him anymore. I called him Dad a while ago. Why don't I want to say it out loud? It's not as though he'll think me weak. He said it's okay to show emotion to those who care about you. And… in my heart… he does care about me, I think. "I think all I ever wanted was a father. Learning the truth hurt… but it gave me what I needed. If it hadn't hurt, I wouldn't have run. You wouldn't have come to find me."

He shakes his head. "Kayden, I don't deserve to be called a father. No matter how I may try to make it up to you, it cannot be done. I deserve to be called a father far less than I deserve to call Shiori my mother. And that's saying something."

I disagree. He never knew. But from the moment he found out… he has been there. And when I felt so betrayed by Ma… he sounded so awkward… he went out of his comfort zone to help me. "Why don't I hate you anymore?" I ask as we approach my house. "Why is it I suddenly trust you?"

"The first I can only hope is your acceptance that, biologically at least, I'm your father. Also, it's far harder to hate someone when you know they care about you. As for why you trust me? That is just really, really stupid, Kayden." He shakes his head. "I have never given you any reason to trust me. None at all."

I open the gate. "You never killed me. You never even hurt me. You didn't put forth any real effort to improve but made sure I was working hard." I hesitate then add, "Back there I understood what you mean when you call me a child. That's when I really started to trust you. You made me feel… comfortable with admitting how I felt." I look away from him. "I felt like a child. For the first time since we met, I was actually the child you've accused me of being so many times. And… you were there. You were there like you'd always been there."

He doesn't answer. I force myself to look at him. He looks so embarrassed. I should be the embarrassed one. He gets ready to speak, but then Ma rushes out of the house. "Kayden!" she says. "I was so worried. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

I don't say anything. He said that there was nothing I really needed to say. But I feel like I need to say something. I'm not mad at either of them. But I feel like I should be. I want to be angry with him. I want to be angry with her. I want to be angry with the dead man. "Kayden?" she asks. "Say something. Please. Anything. Yell at me, curse at me, I don't care. Just say something."

I bite my lip. "Let's go inside and sit down. We need to talk."

Ma looks relieved and simultaneously worried. She looks at Kurama. "I don't like the sound of that at all," she says to him. "What did you say to him?"

"You worry too much, Krista," he says gently. "Is that all that's changed in the past four centuries?"

"I only worry about one thing," she replies coldly. She turns on me. "Speaking of which, I have been through hell these past three years, not knowing where you were. Did you not think to send me any sort of message to make sure I knew you were okay?"

"I told you I wouldn't be contacting you," I remind her.

She frowns but leads us inside. We sit down at the table, and she asks, "What is it you want to talk about, Kayden?"

"I don't want to talk," I answer. "I want the two of you to talk. I want to know the truth."

"You know the truth," she says.

"No," I say. "When you told me what happened, you were yelling. You were both completely pissed. You were pissed at each other. You were angry at me for some reason. You were angry at that other guy. You were angry at yourselves. I want to hear the whole truth with no holes that are left out because you're too upset to include them."

Ma stares at me. "Kayden," she finally says. "You don't know what you're asking."

"Yes," I answer, "I think I do. I understand that it will hurt you, Ma, but I…" I can't guilt trip her like that.

Kurama looks at her. "In a very real way, we both betrayed him, Krista," he says quietly. "If we do not tell him the truth, he will never be able to trust you again, and he will never be able to trust me to begin with."

"But…" she begins to object. Then she stops. After nearly a minute, she finishes, "Fine. But Kayden… much of it is not pretty."

"I don't care anymore." I don't, I really don't. "I'll take the ugly truth over a pretty lie. I want to know who I really am. I deserve that much, Ma."

"Yes," she admits. "You do." She turns to him and asks, "Where should we start?"

He thinks a moment then says, "Before I met your mother, I had a partner. Like I said, I always worked better with a partner. But Kuronue… he wasn't just a business partner. He was my friend as well. I had never understood what friendship was until then. I had worked with quite a few different people, but there was never anything that would have kept me from…" Why is he embarrassed? Then he says, "Kayden, at least the betrayal you felt was not a literal backstabbing."

Oh. I guess he was serious when he said he would be honest. He seems to want me to trust him, but he's telling me that he betrayed his partners even though he knows it might make me trust him less. I'm so confused.

"Anyway," he continues, "We went on a raid one night. On the way out, we saw your mother." He chuckles. "Interesting first encounter, let me tell you."

Ma finally starts helping with the story. "I was heading in as they were heading out. Kurama was dressed in that ridiculous cream-colored outfit that was never quite enough to get him caught. Then Kuronue. Ridiculous black hat, grey pants, a black shirt. His arms were wrapped in black cords. All that black created such a contrast to his pale skin, he stood out almost as much as Kurama. And with his tendency to flit around, it's a miracle they were never caught."

"We were the best," Kurama answers. "Individually, the three of us were too close to say who was the best. But you didn't have a partner who was watching your back."

"Flit?" I ask. That doesn't seem to be a word that would describe a thief.

"Oh," Ma says. "Yes. Adding to his appearance, he had black wings growing from his shoulders." She rolls her eyes. "Bat demon. Anyway, I walked past them, and they said nothing. They didn't raise an alarm that a stranger was trying to gain access. I thought they were just idiots at first."

"But we had both taken note of her attire as well," he interrupts. "She had covered as much of her skin as she could manage with black clothing. Your mother is far more traditional. She never took unnecessary risks."

"Which is why I could often complete a job faster," she counters. "I wasn't constantly checking over my shoulder, thinking I might have been seen."

He grins. "Very true. Anyway, we knew she was a thief. She didn't recognize us for what we were because of how…"

"Easily spotted you were," she finishes. How is it that they can finish each other's sentences like that? Then Ma says, "Then Kuronue said, 'Good luck,' and they vanished. I entered, broke the locks, and the emerald I was after was gone." This still sounds so wrong. Ma would never… actually, I don't know what Ma would or wouldn't do anymore. "And I knew," she says. "That's when I registered what he had meant by wishing me luck."

"But that doesn't explain how you guys became friends," I point out. They met. That means nothing if there isn't anything happening afterwards.

"We knew what she was after," Kurama explains, looking close to laughter. "There was nothing else worth stealing. So we decided to wait outside. Well, I say we…"

"What do you mean, Kurama?" Ma asks.

"I didn't particularly care," he answers. "We had the emerald, it was time to get out. Kuronue on the other hand… he wanted to meet you."

"You never told me that," she says.

He shrugs. "It didn't seem important why we stayed. All that mattered was that you came out mad as hell—"

"Only to find the two of you laughing your asses off at me," she fumes. How can one day bring about such a change? Ma isn't the same person anymore. Suddenly her face softens, and in it I see the Ma who raised me. "Then he said, 'Kuronue and Kurama, Miss. Pleased to make your acquaintance. I believe you were looking for this?' And then he held the emerald up, just out of my reach so I couldn't get to it." She looks… not angry, not irritated, not… it's like she feels she should be irritated about it, but she still looks at the memory fondly.

"Speaking of emeralds," he suddenly says. "I brought you something." He pulls the emerald necklace from a pocket. "Emeralds were always your favorite. I thought I'd bring you some, for old time's sake."

She accepts the gift, a look of both amusement and disapproval on her face. "By old time's sake, I assume you mean you stole it?" she asks.

"Do you really think I could afford such a trinket honestly?" he asks. Trinket?

She laughs. And… it's not the same laugh I grew up with. Compared to this laugh, what I've always heard from Ma seems tamed and restrained somehow. Is this the real Krista? Is this who my mother really is? "No," she answers. "I suppose not." Then the laughter disappears from her eyes and voice with no warning. She quietly places the necklace on the table. Then she says to me, "And I went back to their camp with them. They were both perfectly okay with letting me have the emerald. I couldn't understand it. They had just risked their lives for it, and they were giving it away…"

He shrugs. "It was just a rock. We are not the ones who placed such immense value on it. We took things because it was something to do and because it was entertaining to watch everyone panic afterward."

"Just a rock?" Ma asks. "I still don't understand how you two always called gems the size of my fist 'rocks.'" The size of Ma's _fist_? Compared to something such as that, that necklace really is a mere trinket. He just grins, and Ma says, "At any rate, I spent a few days with them, and we were friends by the time we parted ways. For many years after that, we met up occasionally. Most often we went on raids together, just because we could." She stops suddenly. What happens next? Why aren't they continuing?

Finally he says, "Kayden, I know this next bit will probably be the hardest part for you to hear, if not the hardest part for us to tell."

"What are you saying?" I ask.

"We've already established… Krista, how do I explain the system we had worked out?" he demands.

"Only you would call it a system," she answers. "It was never worked out, never planned. It just kind of fell into place that way."

"Fair enough," he agrees. "Anyway, Kuronue and your mother quickly developed something that was more than friendship."

"Why is this so hard for me to hear?" I ask.

"I'm getting there," he replies calmly. "I understand how you feel about my…"

"Promiscuity?" Ma provides.

"Thank you," he replies sarcastically, "but yes." Oh.

"How is this related?" I demand.

"When I had the desire to be with a woman, Kuronue always opted to stay with your mother, as opposed to picking up girls with me, as he had always done before." Ma is so red. Why is she so embarrassed? She's the one who agreed to all this. He continues, "And sometimes, I took their unintentional cues and left them to themselves."

"Okay," I say. "I get it." And… it does hurt. It hurts to know that I am not the son Ma would have wanted. That I'm not the son of the man she really loved. And like he said, no matter how bad I am at being in a monogamous relationship, I don't like that I'm not in a committed relationship. "Before you continue, one question. How can events that happened before I was born have me so emotionally confused?"

Ma smiles, but it is forced and sad. "Because if not for those emotions and all the complicated results, you wouldn't be here. I'd say you're right to be confused."

"Okay," I answer. Let's hear it. The bad part. The part that is going to hurt them both. But I need to know just what they were thinking. I need to hear the truth without it being shouted at me.

Kurama sighs. He knows what needs to be said as well. "It went on like that for several decades. Once Kuronue and your mother were actually in love, not simply attracted to each other, we met up far more often." He looks at me seriously. "You're mother and Kuronue were always faithful to each other. That moral… that is one she was not just making up, Kayden. It irritated her what I was doing."

"Have you changed any?" she demands.

"Not sure," he replies. "But I think so. I have been faithful to the same woman for nearly twenty years now."

"Who?" she asks curiously. "I heard you died, took on a human body and human life. Who is this girl?"

"I'm not faithful to her in the same sense," he answers. "She's my human mother. I love her more than anything else, myself included. I haven't waivered in that love."

"I'm serious, Kurama," she says. "I'm talking about seeing women romantically. Have you changed?"

"Shiori taught me about love," he muses. I think they're trying to put off finishing this story. "And since I died, if you want to look at it that way, there haven't been any women, therefore none I could be loyal to. I'd like to think that I would be faithful if there was a woman. And I could be faithful as long as the relationship lasted. I'm just not sure I could make it last the way yours and Kuronue's did."

"Well," she says. "That's something."

He nods. "Well, I suppose we better finish this story. We've been putting off telling him. But it's not fair to keep the truth from him, simply because we don't want to talk about it. He's a grown man. He can handle the truth."

"You always call me a child," I say. Why am I suddenly all grown up to him?

"When you admitted you were a child in comparison to us," he says slowly, "you grew up a little bit, Kayden. And I never said you weren't a man. I said… well, what I always meant was that you were very young both mentally and emotionally when compared to the two of us."

"You make no sense."

He laughs, but it sounds very strained. "Well… Kuronue and I went on a raid. As we fled… he had this pendant that he carried with him. Always. The chain on it broke. When he turned to go back, he triggered a trap. He was killed." He… he's… he's crying?

"And Ma?" I whisper.

"I didn't know where she was," he answers, averting his eyes. "So I met her like we had planned a few months later. I was still numb. I couldn't feel anything. She saw me without Kuronue, and she knew. She just knew."

"But how did that lead to me?" I ask. How could such pain manifest that way?

"We…" he begins. He tries again, "We were both upset. We fell asleep next to each other, wrapped in each other's arms. Nothing more than that. But then the next night, she was crying. I kissed her cheek in an effort to comfort her. Then… she just looked at me. I can't explain it, Kayden." He looks so stressed out. He is trying so hard to explain this. Ma still hasn't said anything. "She just looked at me, and I could see just how much she was hurting. And I could see that something about that simple kiss on the cheek had helped her somehow. And somehow, it had helped heal my soul a little bit too. And then…" He trails off slowly. He doesn't like that he slept around back then. But he's actually… _ashamed_ of the fact that he slept with Ma.

"He kissed my cheek again," Ma suddenly whispers. "But it was a lot more slowly. His intent was obvious. He wasn't trying to comfort me. He was trying to heal his hurt and my own. And… I felt like it almost worked. So I kissed him back… We could feel the other person's suffering. And that one kiss worked to heal an immeasurably small amount of that pain. So in our grief… it progressed because each kiss, each touch shared that pain. It divided the pain between us. It made it easier to handle. And then…"

"Then we woke up the next morning and realized what we had done," Kurama murmurs. "I apologized. And I left. Not just because it hurt to see her, but because I was afraid that if I didn't leave I would betray him like that again."

"And that's…" I pause. "I'm here because you were sharing your pain at the loss of a friend?"

Kurama nods. Ma rests her elbows on the table and mutters to him, "Sleeping with you was the worst mistake of my life. I have never regretted anything more than I regret that."

Ma regrets… I don't say anything. Ma just wishes… Ma wishes I had never been… My na wants… Ma… I can feel the tears building in my eyes, but I know they won't fall. It's beyond the point where tears will do anything to help. Ma wishes… she not only wishes I hadn't been born, she wishes I hadn't been conceived in the first place.

Kurama's eyes flash towards me, and he says to her, "I understand, Krista. I regret that too. We both committed the worst kind of betrayal that night. The guilt has eaten away at my heart as well. But it's not as though we can pretend it never happened." He tilts his head very slightly in my direction. What is he trying to tell me? Oh, it doesn't matter. Ma wishes…

Ma sees him incline his head, looks at me and covers her mouth in horror. "Kayden," she says. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean I regret you. I meant that I regret the betrayal. It is not your fault that you were conceived that night. I love you more than anything. I would not give you up for anything. If I had the opportunity to get rid of this guilt at sleeping with Kuronue's best friend, I would do it in an instant." Is that supposed to make me feel better? But she finishes, "Unless it meant I would lose you too. I would suffer guilt twelve times this strong before I would wish I had never had you, Kayden."

I… her voice… how do I know she's not just saying that to make me feel better? Kurama interrupts, "Kayden, do you remember what I told you at that cave? Your mother loves you. She may regret where you came from, but she does not regret that you came, do you understand?"

I close my eyes. Yes. I think I do. Their hurt drove them to it. Then Ma says, "I love you, Kayden. I love you. I wanted children after I retired, whenever that would have happened. I wanted at least one child."

"You just regret that Kurama is my father instead of Kuronue," I state. I can't find any emotion in my voice.

She closes her eyes and nods. "But I do not regret _you_."

"And," Kurama suddenly says, "neither do I. And that's saying something, considering I always thought children were a waste of time."

She looks at him curiously. "You care about him," she accuses. "I thought you were lying when you said you would have come back. You always called us crazy for wanting children. You called us idiots for it. But you care about him."

Kurama nods. "He opened that door and… strange, how quickly paternal feelings can take hold, Krista. I've heard it said that women become mothers when they get pregnant, but that men become fathers when they see their child. I don't know how true the first part is, but I can say without a doubt that the second part is true." He goes on, "He said he wanted to kill me. And I believed he did. But I could not have killed him to save my life. To save Shiori's I could have, but not to save my own. I could have injured him to save my life. But now… I don't know if I could even do that."

Ma stares at him for a while then lets out a quiet chuckle. "So what you're saying, Kurama, but that you can't actually say, is that you love him."

Kurama looks away from her. "Do I have to answer that question?" He cares about me that much? I… I have two parents. Perhaps they don't have anything close to a traditional relationship… perhaps they didn't even have a typical one night stand… but I have two parents who care about me. Two parents who love me. And… oh, god Kayden. I love both of them.

"It wasn't a question, Kurama," Ma points out. "It was a statement that you just verified." She looks at me. "Kayden, what's up? You're smiling, but you look embarrassed as well."

"Nothing," I reply, looking down. "I just… I never realized that all I wanted was… I have a mother and a father who both… my family is so screwed up."

Kurama laughs, and Ma stands up and walks over to me. She kisses the top of my head, and he says, "That is most certainly true. But that's not what's important."

Ma nods and says, "What's important is that we are a family."

Family. That's what's important. It doesn't really matter why we are what we are. We are still family.

* * *

For the record, despite how it looks, this is not the last chapter. We still need to wrap up the training. :D Now for reviews.

animegrlsteph: I know. I'd say something about... you know what, never mind.

Lilec Hamira Amdciez: First, one of these days I'm going to learn how to spell your screen name without looking. XD Other than that, yes, Kurama would make an adorable father.

FireStorm1991: I was never trying to make Kurama out as a bad guy. Wait... yes I was. But then the story took on a life of its own and he was no longer such a terrible person. Urgh. I'm so confused.


	18. Chapter 18

Kiyoshi: Is working on one story too much to ask?

KG64: Well… to work on one story, I need to finish this one first.

Kiyoshi: Whatever. And besides, you have three stories you're working on. Four if you want to get technical and include Alphabet Soup.

KG64: I would also like to point out that this was your idea. As was Dead Girl Walking. I can't really blame you for Hiei, you need to get laid, though. Or… actually, yes I can. Alphabet Soup is you're your fault. Anyway, we only own Kayden and Krista. Have fun!

* * *

Kurama stands up and hugs Ma. "Even not knowing about Kayden I would have come back sooner. But I thought it would hurt more to see you than it did. Emotionally at least." He beds down and rolls up one leg of his pants, revealing a purple bruise, so dark it's almost black. Is that from Ma's attack? She just laughs but doesn't apologize. Then he adds, "It's good to see you again, Krista."

She nods. "Let's go to the other room, and you can tell me what it is you've been doing for the last four centuries."

He nods. "I'd ask you as well, but I have a pretty good idea." Ma smiles. She… I don't think I've ever seen her this happy.

I follow them into what Ma always calls the family room. "Ah," he sighs, looking around. "So many memories in this room. Most of them good."

"Only most of them?" I mutter.

Ma and Kurama look at me. "Kayden," he asks, "Where do you think I told your mother what happened? Where did you think we were when we slept together? It's not like we planned to whole thing out. It just happened where we were." That was _here_? I… I grew up here. I spent so much time in this room and… oh, I feel like such an idiot.

"Here?" I choke.

"Yeah," Kurama says, glancing at Ma as though he can't believe I didn't figure this out. "It's not like we spent all our time camped out in the wilderness when your mother had a house that was in perfect condition." He looks at Ma. "And where did you put all of it?"

"I sold most of it over the first couple of years," she answers. "I figured I might as well. Neither of you was coming back, and I needed some way to support myself and Kayden. And cash is much easier to explain away than priceless jewels and other antiques. And much safer than the cursed pieces." He laughs in agreement.

"You said you had money from an inheritance," I say. But I was raised on money made from stolen artifacts. Will the trail of lies never end?

"She did, more or less," Kurama answers for her. "Kuronue was gone. I left my share of all of it with your mother, not that I cared about any of it anyway. She had every right to sell it."

Okay. I feel like beating my head against a stone wall right about now. Wait. "You said most of it, Ma," I say to her. "That means not all of it."

She grins. "I kept some of our favorites. I saw no reason to sell the more useful pieces." She looks at me seriously. "Such as the couch you're sitting on." _What_? They were good enough to get out with _furniture_? Okay, that's it, I'm done. I just need to stop being surprised by anything they say. She continues, "Almost all of the furniture in the house, in fact." Fantastic. "There's also a reason you weren't allowed in the attic." Dear lord. The truth. Right there in front of me all these years.

Kurama looks at Ma with a curiosity I haven't seen there. "You kept some of _our_ favorites? Did you keep the—" He breaks off, but Ma evidently knows what he's talking about because her eyes light up.

"Of course. It's in the attic." She glances at me a moment, then asks, "Do you guys want to go up and see what's left?"

He smiles. "Most definitely." He turns and leads Ma to the rickety set of stairs which lead to the attic. At the top of the stairs is a door with a padlock designed to keep me out. By the time I was old and strong enough to get through it, I respected Ma enough not to try. He looks at it from the bottom of the stairs then asks, "How long, do you think?"

How long until what? "Including the stairs?" Ma asks. He nods, and she thinks for a moment. "Thirteen seconds." Thirteen seconds for what?

"I'll get it in twelve," he promises.

As he climbs the stairs, Ma counts, "One… two… three… four… five… six… seven… eight… nine… ten… eleven." The door swings open. "Damn, even after all these years."

She dashes up the stairs, and I follow. I enter the attic for the first time. Sometimes I would hear Ma up here in the middle of the night, sobbing. I always though she kept something up here that reminded her of Kurama. Now… I see stacks of antique books, piles of gold and silver, a large number of boxes of all shapes and sizes. "I thought you sold most of it," I manage.

"I did," she answers, opening several of the boxes and handing a couple to Kurama. "You should have seen this place when it held eighty five percent of all we had ever stolen."

Kurama suddenly starts laughing. Ma looks up at him. "What?"

"Look at Kayden." He sounds as though he's choking.

Ma looks at me, and her lips twitch upward. Fortunately she doesn't say anything. I go over and watch Ma open the boxes. Most of them contain gems and other items that can't be stacked without a container. She opens on and hands it to me. "That," she says, "is what the three of us were after the night we met." The dark green stone glints in the low light.

"Ma," I say weakly, "this isn't the size of your fist." She glances at me in confusion as I hand the box holding it to Kurama. I add, "It's the size of _my_ fist."

She just laughs and continues sorting through boxes. "Ah," she finally says. "Here it is." She pulls out a box a foot wide, a foot long and several inches deep. What could possibly be big enough to need that box? But when she opens it, I see it's lined with dozens of much smaller boxes.

She glances over them quickly, plucks two from the case and stands without opening them. "Shall we go downstairs and tell him the stories?" Ma asks. "You know he'll want to know."

"Relive the good times?" he asks. "I think that sounds like a plan."

Ma leads us down the stairs and back into our _family_ room. I sit down next to Ma on the couch and he sits down in the chair across the room from us. He closes his eyes and runs his fingers along the carvings of the wooden rocker. I'm getting the distinct impression that some of these 'good times' he speaks of reliving are going to include how he, Ma, and Kuronue got their hands on all this furniture.

Ma suddenly tosses him one of the small boxes. He doesn't even open his eyes as his hand flashes up to catch it. He looks down and opens the box. He smiles. "That was a good day, Krista."

She glares. "You two are morons."

"What happened?" I ask. He closes the box and tosses it to me. Opening it I find a diamond cut into the shape of a heart.

"Krista was complaining about how we never got caught in spite of how much we stood out," he chuckles. "We bet her we could get through the front gates of this one manor in broad daylight and leave without being caught."

"And that was their prize," Ma says, lifting it gently from my hands. "They talked their way past the guards, Kurama talked the necklace off of the lady of the house with his pretty words, they took themselves on an extensive tour of the grounds, and they came back, completely unscathed."

She hands me another box, another gem, another story. Over and over the process is repeated. I'm so tired. I can listen with my eyes closed. "And they came here after us, insisting we had taken it," Kurama says.

Ma laughs. "And when they looked around, they found _nothing_. That has to have been our greatest con, Kurama."

"There were others that were up there with it, though." So tired… "Like the time Kuronue and I talked to the man for more than three hours while you completely emptied his vault." Just a little nap… "Or the time we took the…"

* * *

Sorry it's been so long since I last updated. At any rate, on to reviews. :)

animegrlsteph: haha. glad you liked it.

Lilec Hamirez Amdciez: Kurama settle down? Not a chance. And remember... he's not in love with Krista. And he doesn't really feel like Kayden's father. I don't know... well, there's a reason this story is called dysfunctional family.

FireStorm1991: (from Kiyoshi) No we don't. And we'll keep doing whatever we want as long as KG64 wants to write decent stories. :P


	19. Chapter 19

KG64: It's all coming together now.

Kiyoshi: _What's_ coming together now?

KG64: The story. I can see the end on the horizon.

Kiyoshi: You're brilliant. And are you aware that you were speaking in plurals today?

KG64: Plurals?

Kiyoshi: You kept saying 'we'—meaning me and you—out loud. To someone else. This has gone past the point where it's okay.

KG64: The biggest question is why _you_ have a problem with it. _We_ own Kayden and Krista.

* * *

Mmmm… Where am I? I open my eyes. Oh yeah. I'm lying on the couch at home. My head is in Ma's lap and she's stroking my hair like she would when I was little. But it's nice. Something about this trip home is making me feel like a little kid again, but it's somehow a good thing.

I sit up and blink. I look at Ma, and she smiles at me. "Where's D—Kurama?" I ask. Damn it, why do I keep wanting to call him _Dad_? It's like, now that he's here, trying to act like the father he never was, I can't help but give in. Because all I ever wanted was a father. Not some legendary, semi-mythical biological entity who was never there. I wanted a person. Flesh and blood rather than an idea. And now… now I have it.

"I'm really not sure," Ma laughs.

"Did you guys stay up all night?" I ask.

She nods. "Reliving the good old days. He told me what he's been doing for the last four hundred years. Nothing too surprising until about nineteen years ago." When he began acting human. Ma just smiles. "Perhaps I love you a bit too much, Kayden." Her eyes tell me she doesn't mean it.

She just wants me to ask, "What do you mean?"

"There was a tournament a bit more than two years ago," she says. "I heard about it and would've liked to compete, but even though you weren't here I didn't want to risk it. I still hoped to shelter you from the truth. A futile attempt, I see now."

"The guys say there's another in about a year," I say.

She nods. "That's what your father said. I'm excited." Why is it that she says _your father_? I call him Kurama too. It just seems strange. It's not weird that he says _your mother_ instead of Krista, since I don't call her Krista. I don't… whatever. But wait a second… excited?

"Ma…"

"Sorry, Kayden," she apologizes. "Part of me is relieved to have you know the truth. That part of me is taking over, acting the way I would have if you had always known the truth."

"Ma…" I ask, "Are you planning on entering next time?"

She gives me a look that says quite clearly she thinks it's a stupid question. "Of course," she answers as she stands up. "I'm going back with you and your father." There it is again. _Your father_. "I was just waiting for you to wake up so I could pack. Then we're leaving."

She walks toward her room, and I follow her. "Ma," I object. "We can't leave. You haven't slept."

"Kayden," she sighs, "try to remember… I've stayed up for more than four days without sleep. I'll be fine." She vanishes into her closet, leaving me in the doorway to her room. Will I ever get used to this new perception of my mother? The thing is… I've somehow forgiven them for all of it. I believe Ma was doing it to protect me. And I didn't expect anything different from him. I just never knew _what_ he was lying about.

In no time at all, Ma walks back out of the closet, a small bag on her shoulder. She is dressed entirely in black. That has to be… oh dear lord. "I thought you were going to pack," I say.

"You would be surprised," she replies, "how little a thief can survive on." Of course. Should have guessed that. "Kurama!" she shouts. "Where the hell are you?" I don't understand why the Ma I grew up with is so much different from the Ma that turns up the moment she sees Kurama. How could someone hold in their whole life, who they actually are for more than four centuries? The only reason that makes any sense at all is that… they really are telling the truth this time. She gave up everything she was good at, what she loved doing, who she was… she gave it up for me. She gave it up because she loves me.

"Kitchen," his voice calls back. "I thought I'd show you how my cooking has improved since we last saw each other."

I follow Ma into the kitchen, where she says, "It's not as though it could have gotten any worse." He laughs.

"It's improved?" I ask. I hate to think what it was like _before_.

He laughs again. "Those, Kayden," he assures me, "are recipes your mother helped me make. I told her the properties of different plants, and we'd devise a way for them to be beneficial and easily ingested."

"Easily?" I ask. Choking half of that stuff down is downright painful.

"The point," he says, ignoring my question, "is that flavor is not something we were overly concerned with."

"You're still using those recipes?" Ma asks him.

"Why change what works wonders?" he asks innocently.

She snorts and shakes her head. "What do you have for me? Please have it be something that tastes at least as good as those herbs."

So his cooking was worse than before? I think I'll pass. He just nods. "Shiori taught me a thing or two. You know me. Kuronue and I could eat anything." He places three plates on the table and sits down with us.

"Yeah," Ma mutters. "If it wasn't poisonous, who cares what it tastes like?"

"You do," he replies. "Why do you think you're always the one who did the cooking? It's because we didn't care and you did."

Ma looks at the fluffy pancakes in front of us and nervously takes a bite. She shrugs. "Edible, I suppose."

"Thanks, Krista," he says. "I'm glad to hear you approve." He looks at her and grins. "I also find it amusing that you decided to wear your old clothes."

Ma grins and reaches down the front of her shirt, pulling up the necklace he gave her yesterday. "For old time's sake." I don't like where this is going.

_Later that morning…_

Ma and Kurama walk down the road confidently. Ma isn't nervous in the slightest. Suddenly, Kurama asks her, "Krista… I know you still miss it, even after four hundred years."

"Especially after four hundred years," Ma corrects. She glances at me, then asks, "What are you suggesting?"

He smiles. "I'm not sure Kayden is convinced that you were one of the best. I told him on the way here that I was one of the best. He asked what I would do if one of the people we met was one of the best as well. I told him that, of the three of us, one was dead and the other was retired."

She smiles. "Are you asking me to prove myself, Kurama?"

He rolls his eyes. "Like _I_ need proof. I was just noting that _Kayden_ still seems a bit… skeptical." Uhhh… yeah.

"So what do you propose I do?" Ma demands.

He shrugs. "Pick someone. Anyone."

Ma grins and looks around. Suddenly she says, "There's a man on our left, walking this way. His watch. Real form."

"So we're raising the stakes, are we?" he asks. The stakes on what?

"Why not?" she asks. "It's not fun if there isn't a risk involved. That was your motto wasn't it?"

"Something like that," he replies. He slips into the form of the fox demon. "Time limit?"

Ma shakes her head. "I'm a bit rusty. We'll just play traditional." He nods and walks toward the man.

"Play what?" I ask Ma, watching him closely. Something tells me I need to be quiet, so I whisper.

"Don't stare at him," Ma warns. "Watch but turn your face another direction."

I do as she asks, but I repeat, "Play what?"

"Just a game the three of us would play when we had nothing better to do. We'd walk up and down this road. One time I talked a pair of shoes of a guy's feet. It's just entertainment."

As Kurama nears the man he stumbles and loses his balance. Way to screw up. He reaches out to catch himself, and the first thing his hand fall on is the man's satchel. There is a ripping noise as the bag tears. "Sorry," I hear Kurama say coldly. But all the same, he kneels down and helps the man collect the contents of the bag. Every so often, his hand flicks to the man's pocket watch, working to remove it from his person subtly. They stand, and as Kurama places what he's picked up in the man's arms, his hand lingers just long enough to pull the pocket watch away. It slides into a fold of his tunic before the man has a chance to notice. It all takes about a minute and forty five seconds.

As we pass, he falls in step beside us. "Smooth," Ma tells him as he hands her the watch.

"It didn't look smooth," I note.

Kurama grins. "He's concerned that I might have stolen something from his bag. It will be a while before he notices the watch is missing." So the trip was on purpose, the rip was on purpose, all of it was on purpose. Unbelievable. He looks around. "Hmmm… you said you were rusty, Krista. You want an easy one to start off?"

She shakes her head. "So long as there's no time limit, I'm good."

He nods. "How about… there's a couple seven meters ahead. The one with light hair has a pendant on his shirt. I saw it when they passed us earlier."

Ma grins. "You weren't kidding when you said you weren't going to give me an easy one." She quickens her pace to catch up with the two men. Then she throws her arms around them. I can hear her voice, but not well enough to tell what she's saying.

"What is she thinking?" I ask. "Is she crazy, going up to them like that?"

Kurama grins. "This game is the one time your mother would use her charms and beauty to hook men. She will distract the two of them with that. Then…" Suddenly they stop and we slow down. The man turns to face Ma. She places her hands on his chest, running one of them along the muscles of his neck. This is sickening. His partner turns away in disapproval. But as the one hand travels along his face and neck and through his hair, the other careful opens the pin on his shirt and it vanishes into the sleeve of hers. Kurama finally finishes his sentence, "she uses her unbelievably light fingers to lift whatever it is from their person." He grins at me. "Now just watch." Ma begins running the back of her hand along his face yet again, but this time she freezes. Kurama is laughing as quietly as she can. "She has a variety of moves to get out of such situations. _Statue_ was always my favorite. She will stand there, unblinking, looking as though she can't see and hear until they leave." We slow down more. But we still pass her before they've given up trying to snap her out of it. A couple minutes later, they pass us. Almost immediately, Ma joins us again and drops the brooch into Kurama's hand. "So much for being rusty," he notes.

And so they continued for several hours. But then Kurama said, "The man with the black hair. There's a canteen attached to his pack. Get it."

"What?" Ma complains. "That's so easy it's not even funny, Kurama."

"Not you," Kurama says. "Kayden." Ma's face suddenly goes blank. Then he adds, "It's in his blood, Krista. We're here, both more powerful than anyone else on this road. There are no traps to trigger. He's not trying to protect it. It's safe, as far as stealing goes. It's just a bit of fun. And if he gets caught, he can pretend he's dying of thirst."

Ma frowns then says, "And if that doesn't work?"

Kurama shrugs. "I'll kill him if he looks like he's going to hurt Kayden." Before I can even begin to take offense, Kurama add, "If Kayden hasn't already done the job." Ma still looks doubtful, but Kurama says, "Think of how much you love it, Krista. How much I love it. That love is in his blood. Can you really deny him that thrill?"

She looks at him. "I hate it when you guilt trip me like that." She turns to me. "Go for it, Kayden. Your game. Only rule is that he can't notice you taking it." I stare at them waiting for them to laugh and say they're kidding, then set a harder challenge that one of them will actually carry out. They stare at me expectantly. I continue waiting for them to laugh and say it's a joke.

They don't.

* * *

that's it. :)

animegrlsteph: a-hahahahahaha! I love this chapter. :)


	20. Chapter 20

KG64: This is what? Chapter 20?

Kiyoshi: You don't know?

KG64: Shut up. You're mean to me.

Kiyoshi: Of course I am. You deserve it. You're mean to me _and_ everyone else.

KG64: *glares at Kiyoshi* We own Kayden and Krista.

Kiyoshi: *ignoring KG64's glare* In addition, we do not condone stealing. Also, we do not believe that genetics have any bearing on crime. Environment, yes. Genetics, no. So don't go blaming your genes and citing us a source if you get caught shoplifting. Better yet, don't go shoplifting.

KG64: You talk too much.

* * *

"Come now, Kayden," Kurama says. "It's a bit of harmless fun, that's all."

"Harmless?" I mutter. I take a deep breath then walk away from them. I don't care what he says. He's a freaking kleptomaniac. They both are. I get the feel that before I was born, they'd both steal a lot of things for precisely two reasons. Not because they needed it. Not even because they wanted it. They stole to prove they could. And they stole because it was there.

I turn and walk back. "This is the _only_ time," I tell them.

As I walk away, I hear Ma tell him, "That's what I said about my first theft." I groan internally.

Why am I doing this? I've always been opposed to stealing. And he's told me I'm stubborn. Why can't I just refuse to do this? Why am I not standing up to him? I'm not afraid of him. Is it because Ma is telling me to do this as well? Or is it because it really is a part of me, really is in my blood?

As I get closer and closer to the man, I feel my heart rate go up, and I have to work to control my breathing. I force my feet to move more quietly, and I cloak my energy. And I feel my doubts subsiding. All I need to do is untie it and drop back.

I catch up to him and reach out. The knot is a simple one. It easily comes undone, and the canteen falls. I barely manage to catch it, stopping it less than a foot above the ground.

I did it. I slow down. I did it. I didn't get caught. And I can understand why they do this. My heart is still racing, I still need to make an effort to control my breathing. I don't approve of what I've just done, but at the same time it's easy to see why this rush could be addictive.

Ma and Kurama catch up to me. I hand him the canteen. "Never again."

"Very well," he replies, opening the bottle. Is he really going to drink that? I figured he'd simply throw it aside. "But don't try to tell me you didn't enjoy it, at least a little bit. I can see in your face that that would not be true."

He finishes speaking, and he lifts the container to his face. But he doesn't take a drink. Instead he sniffs it. What is he doing? Then he smiles and hands it to Ma, who also smells it. Almost disbelieving, she says, "You're unbelievable. How did you know?"

"He reached back to make sure it was still there twice, but he never took a drink," Kurama says simply. "And the thing is, I am now convinced Kayden inherited our abilities."

"What?" I demand. I took a water bottle. Big deal.

Kurama grins at me. "He's one of the better ones. Nowhere near my level or your mother's, but better than most. He effectively concealed his most valuable piece in plain sight. Yet you took it from him without him noticing." What is he talking about?

Ma hands me the bottle. "Smell," she warns, "Do _not_ taste."

I sniff it, expecting something bad. Instead, it smells sweet. "What is this?" I ask.

Kurama takes the canteen from me. "Watch."

"Really, Kurama?" Ma asks, sounding exasperated. "Why?"

Kurama shrugs. "He needs to understand why I like this one." Like this one? Does that mean—oh lord. He pours a single drop of a crystal clear liquid onto the tip of his finger. In seconds, the skin reddens and blisters. "Now imagine," he says, "the way that would feel in your mouth, your throat, your esophagus."

The stomach is protected from such digestion, but… "The small intestine," I add.

"You will be dead long before it reaches the intestines," he contradicts. "It will eat away your pharynx, and you will suffocate in a matter of minutes." He glances at Ma, grins and adds, "Best mixed with wine to hide the flavor."

"And why did you want this?" I ask.

He smiles. "It's very rare, extremely effective, and those who are capable of making it don't hand it out left and right. It costs a large sum, an even larger one to keep them quiet."

"And why can't you make it?" I ask. "Aren't many poisons derived from plants? You control plants."

He grins. "No matter how effective it may be, I rarely had a need for poison. I never bothered to learn its derivatives, much less the proportions."

"And now you've got it in your head to do so," I state. Because I agreed to this ridiculous game. "Brilliant."

Ma and Kurama both laugh.

_Six days later…_

"Kurama!" Yusuke shouts. "You're back! I need to—whoa, who's the chick?"

Kurama snorts. "Kayden's mother." The others howl with laughter at the look on Yusuke's face. Kurama glances at Ma. "She's aged well, don't you think, considering she's as old as I am?" He ducks, barely avoiding the swing Ma takes at his head. Too bad. "Everyone, this is Krista. Krista, is there any need for me to introduce them, or were you at the tournament?"

"I was there," Ma says. "I know their names."

"I don't recognize you," Yusuke says suspiciously. "If you were there, why don't I remember you?"

"I didn't fight. I just watched." She turns back to Kurama, "Although, I do find it frightening that so many powerful people are training all together."

"I find it frightening that we're adding you to the mix," Kurama retaliates.

Hiei looks at Ma. I guess he is feeling her aura as it is now, when she has most of it hidden, because he doesn't seem to think much of her. In his usual tone, cold and almost skeptical, he asks, "Will she be able to keep up?"

Kurama shrugs. "I don't know." He glances at Ma, eyes glinting in delight. "Think you can keep up, Krista?"

Ma looks as though she's ready to laugh. "You mentioned something that measures aura. How about we let that decide?"

Kurama laughs. "Perhaps we should do a free-for-all. Set up boundaries, last person out wins. We can see how you stand up in that. Good practice for the next tournament too."

I look at Ma. She's biting her lip to stop her laughter. "I like it." Of course she does.

Kurama and Yusuke spend the next hour setting up the borders. The others bother Ma, continually trying to learn what she can do. She just smiles and says nothing.

We convene in the center of the circular arena. "No deaths please," Kurama says mildly, looking at Hiei. "Go."

Ma vanishes in a millisecond. I think I'm the only one who notices her disappearance. Well, I'm sure Kurama does, but he gives no indication that that's the case. He, Hiei and Yusuke head off in one direction. The rest of us stay where we are, facing off.

Tactics, though. This game is about tactics. The only one I have a good chance of beating is Shura. So I do my best to hide my aura and fade into the background.

It isn't long before aura starts flying. Toya and Jin team up against Chu and Link. Suzuki and Shura stand off to the side. Knowing Suzuki, he's planning on creating a pact with whoever's left standing. And I know that's what Shura intends to do. Good tactics. In theory, Kurama and Hiei will knock Yusuke out of the running then turn on each other. The four who are left standing from this face-off will then go after either Kurama or Hiei.

Link is suddenly sent flying by one of Jin's punches. He's been knocked out cold. Chu promptly tries to change sides, but Jin and Toy don't listen, and Chu joins Link in Dreamland.

Jin and Toya see Suzuki and Shura. The four of them nod, forming a silent agreement. They stand in a relaxed circle, facing out in a defensive manner.

"Damn it!" Yusuke shouts. "I hate how well the two of you can work together!" They got him out then.

Hiei appears next to me, sword flaming at his side. No killing. I'll fight. I focus and his sword crumples. Unfortunately, the aura remains. "Heh," he laughs. "That was clever." Did Hiei just compliment me? I blink, and he's behind me, aura sword shortened to a dagger at my throat. "And now you're dead."

I sigh and nod, conceding defeat. "Did you knock Kurama out?"

He shakes his head. "That's what they were expecting. So we split up."

"No fair!" The protest is one person. Hiei and I look over to see that three of the four have collapsed. Only Jin remains standing.

"Only rule was no deaths, Jin," Kurama reminds him. "You want to forfeit, or do I need to knock you out as well?" Jin suddenly jumps at Kurama, fists flying. A vine lashes out, wrapping around his middle and chaining him to the ground. Then his eyes drift shut. What did Kurama _do_? Not poison but… a sedative? "Hiei?" Kurama calls. "I know you're there. And I'm assuming you've beaten Kayden. No offense, Kayden." None taken. I had no chance. "There's three of us left, and I'm not sure where Krista is." So he hasn't seen Ma either.

I calm my mind and bend Hiei's sword back into shape. He looks at me, and I say, "I want him to lose. I thought you might like to have your sword back." He nods and goes after Kurama. Quickly, Kurama falls back and Hiei has the tip of his sword at Kurama's throat.

"Dead," he says. That was too fast. Kurama let him win. Why? What's he up to?

Chu and Link have already come to and are now watching what's going on happily. The other four are already sitting up, shaking their heads. I guess they only got enough of the quick acting sedative to prove that Kurama won. "Who's left?" Link asks happily.

"Hiei and Krista," Kurama says quietly.

"Oh," Toya says in surprise. "You sure that's safe, Kurama? She doesn't stand a chance against Hiei. She's only lasted this long by avoiding everyone."

"She is very good at blending in," Kurama murmurs. I shake my head. He's thinking about how well she always faded into the background when they were thieves. "And she has good tactics."

"Hiei has good tactics too," Suzuki says. "And killer instincts."

"We'll see," Kurama whispers, flopping back on the grass with the rest of us. "The thing is, to beat someone in a fight, you have to fight them. To fight them, you have to find them before they've struck a death blow. Hiei doesn't know where Krista is." Kurama laughs to himself. "_I_ don't know where Krista is."

"Forget it," I hear Hiei hiss. He rips the headband off his forehead, revealing his third eye, which is glowing wickedly. He spins around to face a certain direction, waiting.

Then Ma steps out of the trees. "Go easy on me, will you, Hiei? I'm a bit out of practice."

"No," Hiei says harshly. "You are the one who agreed to this. It makes no difference to me if you have or have not been practicing. It also makes no difference to me that you're a woman. I'm not like those morons, who let themselves lose because they can't stand up to the charms of a woman."

Ma smiles. "I appreciate that, Hiei," she says. "I really do. You'd be surprised how often people underestimate my abilities." Her eyes flicker to the others. And then she stands there, waiting. Is she going to let him make the first move? I thought she said she'd watched the fights. Doesn't she know he can move quickly?

Hiei stands, staring at her. I can see his eyes are trying to figure out what she's up to. Then he takes a fighting stance. He flashes toward her, and his sword shatters. I just changed its shape. Ma breaks it to pieces. Hiei's going to be pissed about that one later. And I think he's pissed now because Ma has jumped back, dodging his stroke. She just grins. "Is that all you have, Hiei? I thought you would have more to offer." He spits to the side and goes after her again. She dodges again.

His eyes narrow and he says, "I thought the first dodge was just a fluke. But now… I'm dealing with something more. Let's feel the real aura, Krista. An honest fight would be refreshing, don't you think."

Ma grins. "No. Honesty isn't exactly my specialty." Tell me about it. Four hundred and thirty years. Unbelievable.

Then I notice the metal trickling across the ground, seeping up through the ground. How is she doing that? How is she making the metal a liquid at room temperature? I don't understand. Hiei notices it, but it's too late, the metal has reached his feet and encased them entirely. He puts a hand toward them, sending flames downward.

"It's no use, Hiei," Kurama warns him. "That is not an 'auraless scrap of metal.' It's backed up by Krista's aura."

"Mine should overpower hers," Hiei snaps back.

"Heh," Ma laughs. Then she lets loose the full force of her aura. "Still think that, Hiei?" She picks up a stick off the ground, and she pulls metal to the tip, welding it on to form a spear. She points it at Hiei. "You cannot move. It would take you longer to summon the Black Dragon than it would take me to drive this through your gut, your heart or your throat. You," she finishes, "are dead."

Hiei glares, allows his flames to die out and drops the useless hilt of his sword to the ground. Odd. I never thought I'd see Hiei admit defeat. The metal slithers off of Hiei's feet, and Hiei turns to look at Kurama. "Who is she, Kurama? You said she's Kayden's mother. But who is she really?"

"An old friend," Kurama says smiling. "We've been through a lot together."

"By friend you mean business partner," Hiei accuses.

"No," Kurama says, shaking his head. "We were friends first, business partners second. But yes, we did work together. She just never had my reputation because she had both the ability and the desire to remain unseen. I had the ability but lacked the desire." He shrugs. "Her skills rival mine. Even you and Yusuke together couldn't match her."

"Match her on what?" Yusuke demands.

"She's a thief, Yusuke," Jin explains, happily floating next to Toya. "And a good one, sounds like."

"One of the best," Kurama says. "One of the best."

Suddenly Suzuki looks at Ma. "You're Kayden's mother," he says.

"Yes…" she says slowly.

"So who's his father?"

Oh no. We didn't tell her not to tell them. She glances at me then says, "If you don't know, I assume that means Kayden doesn't want you to know. I'm going to do my best not to betray him again."

I smile. "Thanks, Ma. But… I don't care anymore. If they know, they know. It's not like there's anything I can do to change it." And, if I'm being honest with myself, I don't particularly want to change it anymore.

Ma smiles at me. "I'm proud of you, Kayden," she says. "You've done a lot of growing up the last few days. I don't know if I could have dealt with what you had to. I doubt I could have handled it as well as you did." She looks at them and says, "It's Kurama."

"I knew it!" Suzuki says. The voices of the others create a garbled cacophony of sounds that is entirely unintelligible.

Then Yusuke says, "Kurama, you said she was a friend, not an old girlfriend. What's up with that?"

"Stupid decision," Kurama says. "A really stupid decision. She's just a friend. She was something more for a grand total of one night."

"And that's where Kayden comes in," Ma says happily, walking over and brushing the hair from my face. "They're all the family I have."

That word again. Family. How can a group as dysfunctional as the three of us be considered a family? I don't know, but it feels true. Ma and Kurama. Ma and Dad. I don't care. It doesn't matter what I call him or how ridiculously unconventional and unorthodox we may be. We're still a family.

* * *

Sorry it's been so long since I updated. Time for the last reviews...

Lilec Hamirez Amdciez: Yeah, I'd agree that the last chapter was a bit sentimental. Hope you enjoyed the final chapter.

animegrlsteph: it really isn't exciting as it sounds... because contrary to popular belief, this story is almost more about Kurama and Krista than it is about Kayden; Kayden just gets caught in the crossfire of their problems.


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